Slightly Damned
by The Paper Wolf
Summary: Set in season 2. (kinda like a MHA rewrite - not really though - possible AU) There is a new student at U.A. and she happened to be placed in the famous 1-A, but she's not exactly like all the other girls at school. How is she so different? What kind of quirks does she have? Why does Katsuki acting so strange around her? I'll never tell... you have to read it and find out!
1. The Girl Who Had No Voice

Chapter One: The Girl Who Had No Voice

 _I'm not your every day on the block!_

 _I'm as good as it gets,_

 _And as bad as they come!_

 _I'm a nightmare,_

 _Dressed as a daydream!_

 _Life's just a game…_

 _And I'm just the player…_

It was a bright autumn day for the students of U. A. . The weather was perfect for blazers and long sleeved uniforms; there wasn't a cloud in sight! The students were all inside – working hard to reach their dreams of becoming heroes and everyone else were either out shopping or running errands or hard at work. It was still early in the morning and everyone was getting ready for their classes. Most of the female students were gathered close together; gossiping and chatting away while the male half of the class was complaining about their homework assignments from the previous night.

Bakugou Katsuki walked into the room with a few other students. He took his seat and started to pull out his homework and other supplies he would be needing for his lessons. However, with the girls standing around the window beside him was challenging to ignore.

"Did you hear about the new girl that just transferred from R. A.?" Mina asked in an excited tone; her gloves waving wildly in the air.

"You mean Rosemont Academy, right? That school is full of stuck up lil preps with no sense humility!" Kyoka cried out in a snotty tone; sticking her nose into the air.

"I thought R. A. is an all-girl school for heroes in training." Asui chimed in with a blank look on her face; tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"I'm sure that not all the girls at R. A. are like that, Kyoka." Ochaco said in a nervous tone; giving her an optimistic smile while she raised a finger in the air. "But I wonder why anyone would transfer so late in the year."

"It makes me wonder how she even got in so late in the first place. She must've gotten a recommendation from someone on the school board. Well, either that – or her parents must've paid her way in." Momo said in a flat tone; resting her chin in her hand.

The other girl was about to reply, but Tenya walked over to the girls and glared firmly at them. "Now, that's no way to talk about someone you don't even know." He said in a warning tone; pushing his glasses back in place.

Before anyone could make any more comments, their homeroom teacher came in and placed his brief case on his desk. He told the students to settle down and to get in their seats with a blank stare in his face.

"Before I take up your homework," Eraserhead stated calmly as he glanced over towards the door, "we have a new student joining us from Rosemont Academy." All the female students quietly groaned and a few of the male students held their breath and waited for the new student to walk in.

The girl walked in and stood in front of the classroom. She stood to be about 5'6.5" with long grayish-silver hair that was tied into a neat braid that reached down to her thighs and long bangs that parted to the left; concealing her sickly white skin that would've been considered flawless if not for the scars that riddled her neck and hands.

The new girl was dressed in the normal school uniform and had black stockings that reached up to her upper thighs like most of the girls in the classroom. She wore the standard school blazer, but the other students would see black gloves of some kind covering most of her hands. She had a black messenger bag hung over her head and crossed over her chest. Unlike most of the students seating in the room, this girl had crutches holding her up and some kind of leg bracers on both her legs. However, the only part about the girl that stood out the most about this girl – was her eyes.

She had heterochromia eyes just like Todoroki. Her right eye was a dark violet color, and her left eye was cobalt blue. Both eyes were different in comparison, but both eyes didn't have pupils, and both eyes were hidden behind a pair of semi-framed bifocals.

The teacher cleared his throat and took his place next to the girl. "Class, I'd like you to meet Auryn Honda. As I'm sure you all know, she transferred from Rosemont Academy and will be joining our class for the remaining year."

He then looked over at the girl – or "Auryn" with a blank stare. "Would you like to say hello to your new classmates, Auryn?" He asked in a flat tone.

Auryn blushed and looked down at the floor. "…Um… hello… m-my name is Auryn Honda… I-I hope we can be friends." She muttered quietly; not looking up at the students in front of her.

"You can be MY friend any day!" The blonde boy declared in a flirty tone; making Kyoka smack him over his head.

"Stop scaring the poor girl, Denki!" She growled in a disgusted tone; a vein pulsing on the side of her head.

Eraserhead cleared his throat once again, and gave the two students a weary look. "Please, be nice to Auryn and make her feel welcome here at U. A. or I'll give ALL OF YOU detention for a week. Got it?" He warned in a hollow tone; placing his hand on Auryn's shoulder; making her look up at him. "Why don't you go ahead and sit next to Bakugou Katsuki for now and I'll figure out where to put you next time, okay? He's the young man with the red eyes."

Auryn nodded to the older man, and looked over at the group until she found the boy in question, and moved down the row as quickly as she could manage.

She silently slipped out of her crutches and propped them up against the side of her desk. She quickly pulled her messenger bag off her shoulder, and began pulling out a notebook and writing utensil.

The teacher then instructed his students to pass up their homework assignments to the front of the class. Katsuki watched as Auryn twisted in her seat to take the papers from the students behind her, and saw several scars on her hand when the glove rode up her hand. She caught him staring at her when she passed up the papers, and quickly retracted her hand and pulled the fabric back into place.

The teacher went over the homework and went on about his lessons for the day until it was time for class to end. He then watched his students all file out of the room until Katsuki passed by his desk. He called the youth over and asked him if he would show Auryn to her classes for the day.

Katsuki nodded in agreement, and looked over at the girl who was putting her things away. "WHAT?! Why me? Why not Tenya or even Midoriya?" He asked in a panicked tone; looking back at the older male sitting at the desk. "Or one of the girls for that matter?"

Eraserhead sighed. "Well, Midoriya has already left for his next class, and Tenya is too strict and would most likely drag her along; making her trip and hurt herself or something to that extent." He reasoned in a logical tone; shaking his head at the boy. "And you've heard all the girls talking about her before I came into the room – they've already judged her by the school she transferred from. I mean, I know you've got better things to do, but wouldn't it look good on your hero status if you helped her out?" He added as he wrote out two passes and handed them over to him.

Katsuki sighed and nodded to his teacher. He turned around and found Auryn already walking out the door. He quickly followed her out the door.

"Hey, Honda – wait up!" He called out to her; darting over towards her side.

"Yes? Can I help you… Bakugou, right?" Auryn replied in a careful tone; looking up at the boy with red eyes.

Katsuki closed his eyes for a moment, and opened them up to give Auryn a small smile. "Just call me, "Katsuki"." He replied in a polite tone.  
Auryn nodded once. "Only if you call me "Auryn". I've never really been one for formalities when it comes to people my own age." She replied with a faint smile. "Did you need something, Katsuki? I'm on my way to class."

Katsuki glowered at the girl in front of him. "Yeah, I'm taking you to your next class." He said in a final tone; holding his hand out to her. "Give me your schedule. The faster I see what classes you have, the sooner I can be on my way."

"That would be very kind of you, but I can get there on my own. And besides, wouldn't you get in trouble for being late to your own classes?" She suggested in a confused tone; tilting her head to the side.

Katsuki shook his head and held up the passes. "Eraserhead gave us passes so we'll be excused for being late – not that I care about that." He said in a lazy tone; turning to face their front. "So, stop wasting my time and give me your schedule."

Auryn gasped and let go of her crutch. She quickly fished through her pockets and handed up him a folded up piece of paper. He unfolded the paper, and scanned over her schedule. He gasped when he saw that she had nearly all of the same classes as he did! There were only three classes that were different from his own schedule!

"What is it, Katsuki? Are my classes too far away from yours?" Auryn asked in a frantic tone; leaning closer to look at the paper in his hands.

Katsuki blushed and shook his head. "No, it's fine," he said in a quiet tone; handing the paper back to her, "you're schedule is almost exactly like mine. You only have a few classes that I don't, but those classes are either around the corner from mine or straight down from mine."

"Oh, that's good, right? That means you won't have too much getting to most of your classes on time!" Auryn said in a pleased tone; giving him a sweet smile.

And with that, the two made their way to their next class. It was Gym class. Katsuki had suspected that Auryn wouldn't be able to participate in class, and he was right: the teacher had ordered her to sit out for the lessons. The teacher did, however, make her walk around when the other students had to walk the track. The girls were the first to start and the boys followed suit shortly after.

Denki jogged forward to catch up the Auryn, and gave her a cheerful smile. "Hey, you're Honda, right? I'm Kaminari but you can call me Denki! It's nice to meet you!" He said in a friendly tone; draping his arm around her shoulder.

The sudden action caused Auryn to jerk away from the blonde, and made one of her legs to get tangled in her crutches; making her fall on her side. Denki and the students behind them all stopped and rushed to her aid. They bombarded Auryn with concern and hostility towards the boy; making him jump away from them; protesting that he didn't intend to hurt the gray-haired girl.

"Are you okay, Honda?! You didn't hurt yourself, did you?!" Ochaco cried out in panic; kneeling down next to the girl.

Ochaco reached out to touch Auryn's shoulder, and Auryn scooted away from the group with a startled yelp. For some reason or another, it almost seemed like Auryn was – AFRAID to be touched.

"No, please! Don't worry about me! I just wasn't paying attention and tripped over my crutches! I'm fine – really!" She said in a skittish tone; shaking her head quickly and trying to push herself back up; causing herself to fall back down on the ground.

"What's going on here?" A strict voice called over the fussing students; causing them all to look over at Tenya.

"Honda fell down because Kaminari was hitting on her!" One of the female students shot out hotly; making the blonde boy jump away and hold his hands up in surrender.

"I WAS NOT HITTING ON HER! I WAS JUST TRYING TO BE NICE!" Denki protested defensively.

Tenya glared over at the shorter boy and shook his head. He then turned his attention back to Auryn, and held out his hand to her. "Let me help you up, Honda."

Auryn stared at his larger hand for a moment, and placed a shaky hand into his. The taller male pulled Auryn to her feet and watched her untangle herself from her crutches.

She was about to say something to Tenya, but the gym teacher rushed up to the group and started sending them on their way. He then turned back to Auryn and asked if she okay. She quickly told the teacher that she was okay, but he told her to go down to Recovery Girl's office to get checked out.

Before the teacher let her go, he saw Katsuki grabbing Kirishima and shaking him violently; screaming nonsense as he did so. The teacher sighed and blew the whistle; making all the other students stop and give him their full attention.

The teacher gave Katsuki a weary glare. "Bakugou, instead of trying to kill Kaminari," he said in a weary tone; resting his hand on Auryn's shoulder, "why don't you make yourself useful and take Auryn up to Recovery Girl's office? You don't want a handicapped girl get lost wandering the halls, do you?"

Katsuki looked over at Auryn, and saw a small scratch on her left jaw that looked like it was already starting to bruise. He saw the nervous look on her face, and most of his annoyance was almost immediately forgotten.

"Alright, fine! I'll do it!" He shot out in annoyance; rubbing the back of his head. He then looked over at Auryn with a weary sigh. "Come on, Auryn. Let's get this over with."

And with that, Katsuki started walking off towards the main building. Auryn sighed and hung her head in defeat. She gave the other students and their teacher one last look, and moved over towards Katsuki as quickly as she could.

 _'This is going to be an adventure…'_ Auryn thought bitterly to herself as she followed the boy into the building.

"You don't have to take me to Recovery Girl's Office, Katsuki… I don't even need to go to there." Auryn protested weakly; making sure to keep her voice low so only they would be able to hear each other talk through the empty halls.

Katsuki rolled his eyes at her in response. "Oh, and that scrape on your jaw is no reason to go to the nurse's office?" He asked in a challenging tone; making her flinch. He felt a sudden jolt of remorse shoot through his body, and sighed. "Look, I only to help you get to Recovery Girl's office because I couldn't stand those idiots, and this was the perfect excuse."

Auryn looked down at the floor for a moment. "I'm sorry… you must think I'm a ditzy klutz, huh? My foot getting caught in my crutch and all." She said in a quiet tone.

She looked up at the boy next to her with a weak smile. "I guess I made one heck of an impression back there, huh?" She asked in a joking tone; shaking her head at her own comment.

Katsuki shrugged his broad shoulders. "It was just an accident, right? Who cares what other people think? It'll only slow you down in the long run." He said in a logical tone; placing his hands behind his head.

Auryn smiled kindly at Katsuki. "Thanks, Katsuki. I needed to hear that." She whispered in a gentle tone as a blush made its way to her cheeks.

 _'She doesn't look half-bad when she blushes.'_ A voice inside of his head called out before he could stop it.

He quickly shook the thought out of his head, and looked up at the door. He was a little surprised when he saw that they were in front of Recovery Girl's office. He reached out and opened the door. He gave Auryn a court nod to go inside.

"Oh, hello, Auryn! You're back for another breathing treatment?" The old woman asked once she looked up at the two students.

Katsuki glanced over at Auryn for a second, and would've asked what Recovery Girl meant, but Auryn kept her focus on the shorter woman.

"No, ma'am," Auryn spoke in a weary tone; turning her head towards Katsuki, "I fell over my own two feet and got a little banged up." She replied in an apologetic tone; turning her face fully towards her.

Recovery Girl nodded and hopped off her seat and wobbled over towards the two. "Okay, dear, I'll kiss it and make it all better." She said in a caring tone; guiding the girl over towards one of the beds.

Auryn yelped and took a step backwards. "Oh, no, you don't have to use your quirk on me! A simple bandage will work just fine! Please don't trouble yourself!" She pleaded in a desperate tone; shaking her head quickly.

Recovery Girl sighed and made Auryn sit down on a stool. She then went over towards her supply cabinet. "Honestly, Needy," she said to the girl while she pulled out a box of bandages, "you could be fully healed and able to join your new classmates in their activities, but you choose to remain crippled and isolate yourself from the rest of your classmates."

Katsuki blinks in confusion. _'Why would she want to stay like that?'_ He thought to himself as he watched the old woman take a seat in front of Auryn, and begin to apply some ointment to her injuries. _'Why wouldn't she want to get better? It must be a way for her to get attention or something.'_

"…With all due respect Recovery Girl, I've got to fight through some hard times before it gets easier – there's no other way around it. It's a part of life." Auryn responded in a hollow tone; her eyes clouding over as she turned her face to the side to give the older woman better access to her injury. "I never needed help before – why should now be any different?"

Recovery Girl nodded in understanding. "That's a very lonely way of thinking, isn't it?" She asked in a worried tone; putting the bandage over Auryn's jaw.

"It's my cross to bear – no one else's…" Auryn countered in a firm tone; bringing her face back to her front. "I don't want to take the easy way out anyway."

"Well, if you ever change your mind, dear," Recovery Girl said in a relented tone; picking up her supplies and started putting them away, "you know where to find me."

Auryn nodded to the woman and pushed herself up from the bed. And slipped into her crutches. Katsuki watched her pull herself into balance and look up at him with a brave smile.

"Are you ready to go yet? We better get back to class before it ends; otherwise Sparky and Shitty-hair would probably say something to piss me off." He said in a bored tone; turning on his heel and walking away from the girl.

Auryn blinked at the retreating boy for a few minutes, and shook her head. She looked back at Recovery Girl with a brave smile, and mumbled her thanks to her before she pushed herself after Katsuki.

Recovery Girl watched as Katsuki held the door open for Auryn, and watched them leave. Once the door closed and smiled despite herself.

"That Honda girl is most certainly different from the rest of her family. I can see a wonderful future in store for her…" She said thoughtfully to herself as she moved back into her office…


	2. Described As Bored

Chapter Two: Described As Bored

 _I am thankful,_

 _For all those horrible people in my life._

 _They've shown me,_

 _Exactly who I don't want to be._

 _Just remember,_

 _That all the shit someone puts your through…_

 _Sooner or later,_

 _Will find its way back to them…_

After everyone got used to having Auryn around and they started treating her like she was one of their friends. The girls were nicer to her and started talking to her, and the boys started paying more attention to her.

Denki was more careful around her, and made sure not to flirt with her too much. Eijiro often pulled the blonde into a headlock whenever he thought Denki was flirting too much with her. Auryn blushed and tensed up whenever they got too close to her, but everyone else just passed it off as they were making her nervous.

Tenya was like a guardian for her, he made sure that none of the other students crowded her in and didn't bother her when she was trying to walk, and made sure she could be heard whenever she spoke. He thought of himself as an older brother for her, and scolded the other students for teasing her or asking too many personal questions. Normally Shouto assisted him though and Midoriya would often chime in as well. However, there was one other who stood out the most when it came to Auryn.

Katsuki had stayed close to Auryn, and actually helped her around the school. He was the one that walked with her when they'd pass the halls and opened the doors for her. The other boys would snicker at him and tease him for his actions, but Katsuki would normally either yell at them or say something extremely vulgar to them and make them all back off. The girls would gossip about him behind his back so he wouldn't hear them. However, all of Auryn's classmates could say one thing about Auryn: …

Auryn Honda was a quiet girl. She was (in all of her teachers' eyes) a good student despite her handicaps, but she always scored top in her classes in the female section anyway. But she hardly spoke to anyone and always stayed to herself. It wasn't that she thought she was better than her classmates – she always spoke to them whenever they'd talk to her or asked her a question, but other than that, she never started a conversation and was always by herself (unless someone sat with her or Katsuki dragged her over to sit with him).

Right now, the students were all sitting together on their last class for the day; talking about their plans for the weekend. But something wasn't right about today: Auryn was even more quiet than usual. Whenever anyone would talk to her, she'd smile a fake smile and answer them by either nodding or shaking her head, or shrugging her shoulders or giving them a thumbs up. It was almost like she lost her voice, and the students that DID try to talk to her, were starting to get more worried as their break period drew on.

"Do you guys know what's wrong with Auryn? I don't think I've ever seen look so down before." Eijiro said in a quiet tone; leaning into his desk so he could look over at the girl in question.

"Yeah, she's been a little sad lately, hasn't she? You'd think someone kicked her puppy or something." Denki chimed in with worry in his tone; mimicking the red haired boy's gesture.

"Maybe she's just tired or something?" Ochaco suggested tilting her head to the side.

Katsuki got tired of hearing his peers talking about Auryn. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he had formed an interest in the gray-haired girl, and he found himself thinking about her most of the time. The thought of something bothering her angers him and he didn't know why.

And with knowing something wasn't right with his obsession, he got up and left the group and made his way over towards her; not caring for what his peers would say or do.

"Move over. I'm sitting down." He said roughly; pulling up a chair to sit next to her.

Auryn yelped and looked up to see Katsuki sliding into the chair next to hers. She quickly moved away and gave him more than enough space to sit comfortably beside her.

He situated himself in his seat, and leaned into the desk. "What's up?" He asked in a blunt tone; looking over at the girl without moving his head.

Auryn looked over at the boy sitting next to her for a moment, and shook her head "no"; trying to tell him that nothing was wrong, but he knew better. He had watched people enough to know that "nothing" meant that something was bothering them. And he felt his temper was slipping out of his control when she kept refusing to tell him (or anyone) what was wrong.

"Don't give me that bullshit." He hissed impatiently; glaring darkly at her. "I know something's not right with you."

Auryn looked up from her sketchbook to give him a weary look. "I've just got a lot of my plate right now, Katsuki…" She replied dryly; leaning back into her seat.

"I'm gonna need more than that to get off your case, you know." He warned in a stubborn tone; folding his arms over his chest.

Auryn shook her head at the boy. "It's family business, Katsuki… You best bet is to stay out of it and spare yourself the headache." She told him with a faint smile.

Katsuki raised a brow. "It must be important if you're stressing out about it so much." He reasoned in a final tone; narrowing his eyes at her.

Auryn sighed and shook her head. "It's actually not really all that important – my family comes together every few months and hang out and talk about current events that concern the family's interests. I just make a big deal out of it because I've always hated those meetings." She explained in a defeated tone; hanging her head in shame. "And the reason I'm dreading it NOW more than the other times is because I have to go and spend the entire weekend with them. I barely have time to change out of my uniform when I get home, and I've got a lot of things that need to be done when I get home after school today."

"Why do you even bother going if you hate it so much?" Katsuki asked in a curious tone; watching Auryn closely.

Auryn sighed and shook her head. "THAT is a story for another time, Katsuki. Right now, it's about time for the last bell to go off, and I need to start picking up my things so I can leave."

Katsuki watched as Auryn began gathering her things and placing them neatly in her bag. He looked around and saw that the other students had done the same thing. They started putting their desks back in place and putting their things together as well. And knowing that he was defeated; decided to follow everyone else's example and do the same thing they were doing.

And just like Auryn had predicted, the bell sounded throughout the school; signaling that the students may now leave for the weekend. The teacher wished everyone a good weekend and to not forget to do their homework while they were all leaving the room.

Like all the other times, Katsuki waited for Auryn outside the door. He watched as she slowly cleared the door before he darted after her.

"Listen, Auryn," he said in an unsure tone; walking alongside her, "can I walk you home? I mean, we're pretty much going the same way anyway, right? So, there's really no point in walking home alone."

Auryn smiled faintly at the boy walking next to her. "It's up to you, Katsuki." She said as she shrugged her bony shoulders at him; being careful not to trip.

 **After the pair had left the grounds,** Auryn and Katsuki arrived at the cross walk where they normally parted ways. Auryn turned to the boy and gave him a soft smile.

"Well, this is where we go our separate ways." She said as she shifted her body to face West. "Have a good weekend for me, okay, Katsuki and I will see you bright and early on Monday morning!"

Katsuki reached out and grabbed Auryn's braid; causing her to stop dead in her tracks. "Now, hold on just one second! I'm walking with you all the way to your house!" He cried out angrily; letting go of her hair so she could turn back around to face him.

"Why? I've already told you that I have to get ready to go to my family's main house for the weekend. I'll barely have enough time to change out of my school uniform before I have to leave." She reasoned in a confused tone; watching him shift between his feet.

"Yeah, I know, but you need to take a train to get to where you're going, don't you? And that also means you're going by yourself, right? Well, I don't really think anyone is gonna help you TO the train station let alone ONTO the train." Katsuki protested in an arrogant tone; knowing full well that he had her pegged.

Auryn narrowed her eyes and shook her head at Katsuki. "True, but I'm sure you've got plans for the weekend, don't you? Why would you want to waste your Friday afternoon with someone like me rather than spending it on something that's actually WORTH your time?" She challenged in the same arrogant tone; knowing that she made a good point.

Katsuki blushed slightly, and looked away from her. "…" He mumbled under his breath; refusing to look at Auryn.

Auryn smirked slightly to herself. She knew she had him, but she wanted to add more salt to his wounded pride. "What was that, Katsuki? I didn't quite catch that last part." She said in a playful tone; leaning closer to him.

"I SAID THAT I DIDN'T MAKE ANY PLANS FOR THE WEEKEND, OKAY?!" He yelled at her; making her flinch at his response.

He realized that he made a mistake, and his blushed deepened. "Fuck, I'm sorry, Auryn." He apologized in a bitter tone. "I didn't mean to yell at you like that. I'm just – EMBARRASSED that everyone made plans for the weekend, but me."

Auryn looked over at Katsuki with an empathetic smile. "You've always got your homework to keep you company." She offered in an unsure tone; tilting her head to the side.

Katsuki rolled his eyes at the girl. 'But I wanted to spend the weekend with you…' He thought sadly to himself as he sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

Auryn sighed and turned to walk away. "Well, I would offer you to come along, but you'd be just as bored there than you would doing your homework," she said in a lazy tone, moving forward down the sidewalk, "so, it'd be a lose-lose situation."

Katsuki's ears perked at Auryn's idea. "Why would I be bored?" He asked in a curious tone; his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Oh, it's just a bunch of adults talking about current events and picking at their children. I always get bored to tears at these things, so I normally just stay outside if my allergies don't flare up and bite me in the you-know-what." Auryn said flatly; shivering at the thought.

Katsuki thought about for a moment, and he had already made up his mind. "I'm going with you." He said in a final tone; looking straight at her.

Auryn shook her head and pushed forward. "Sorry, but the last time I checked, YOU are not of Honda blood. Only Honda family is allowed to attend our meetings. Strict family law. Sorry, but that's the way it is." She said in a firm tone; giving him a blank stare.

"But-!" Katsuki started to protest but Auryn cut him off.

"I'll tell you what: I'll talk to Aikido and see what he says about you coming with me NEXT TIME, okay?" Auryn suggested in a sisterly tone; bumping her shoulder against his in a friendly manner. "It just wouldn't be a very good idea to just show up uninvited."

Katsuki huffed and folded his arms over his chest. "But still… I'm the only one who doesn't have anything to do this weekend and I'm going to be bored out of my mind!" He whined in an angry tone; sulking down as they walked the sidewalk.

Auryn rolled her eyes and blew air through her nose. "Oh, please! You've got loads to do! Like homework, studying, going to the arcade, and training – need I go on?" She reasoned in a logical tone; giving him a flat look.

Katsuki scuffed bitterly and stuck his nose at the thought of the homework that was in his backpack. "Yeah, right, the assignments are so easy that I'll have them done in less than an hour! Then I'd be bored to death for the rest of the weekend!" He mumbled in protest.

Auryn sighed and shook her head at him. The rest of the trip to Auryn's apartment was silent. They made it up to her place, and she quickly told him to wait outside for her to come back out. She was only gone for a few minutes, but it felt like hours to him. He didn't know why, but it aggravated him to no end. Why was he affected by Auryn so much? He barely knew her for crying out loud! So, why was he feeling the sudden attachment to her?

She quickly came outside of the apartment with a backpack on her bag, and wearing her standard street clothes. She wore black pants with a black floral wrap around the waist and matching character shoes. She had a dark red 2-piece tank top and black arm warmers that reached up to her under arms. Her hair was let down in waves of gray that looked silver in the natural light. She kept her effects that she's normally seen wearing.

Katsuki thought she looked beautiful in her street clothes. No… to him, she looked hot! He couldn't take his eyes off of her! Now, he wished he really WAS going with her!

Auryn looked over at Katsuki for a few moments and then turned her eyes to look over at herself. "What? Do I have something on my clothes?" She asked in a worried tone; looking down at her legs.

Katsuki shook his head clear of his thoughts, and gave her a straight face. "Uh-no… you look fine. Let's go." He said in an awkward tone; turning around quickly to hide his blush.

Auryn stared at Katsuki's back for a few seconds before she finally gave up and followed after him…

 **After the two finally made it to the train station,** Auryn got her ticket ready to board the train. Katsuki followed her over towards a bench nearby and watched as she pulled her backpack off her shoulders and leaned against the bench with a weary sigh.

He sat down next to her on the bench and watched her open her backpack frantically and began searching for something. "What are you looking for?" He asked in a curious tone; watching her digging around in her backpack.

Auryn ignored him and kept digging around in her backpack, and finally found what she was looking for. She sighed in relief and pulled out what looked like an inhaler. She gave the device a few good shakes and held it up to her mouth; taking a deep breath and exhaling after holding it for as long as she could.

She leaned all the way back against the bench and closed her eyes. "I have asthma and I have to take breathing treatments and use a rescue inhaler." She said in a hollow tone; looking up at the ceiling.

"Asthma?" Katsuki echoed back at her; concern growing stronger by each word she spoke. 'That must be what Recovery Girl was talking about when she asked if Auryn if she needed a breathing treatment.'

Auryn nodded and looked over at Katsuki with a broken smile. "I was born three months prematurely and had weak brachial tubes since I was a child." She said in a sad tone; shaking her head at herself.

She then gasped and leaned forward in her seat. "But it's nothing too serious! I just have to be more careful than most people!" She quickly added; shaking her hands in front of her face.

"And just now? Was the Hell was that?!" Katsuki asked in a frantic tone; worry showing on his face.

Auryn shrugged her bony shoulders in response. "Meh… I was just out of breath. Nothing to worry about." She said in a lazy tone. "Now, when I go into an ASTHMA ATTACK is when you should worry."

"An asthma attack? Are they really that bad?" Katsuki asked in a worried tone; his hands starting to sweat with nervousness.

Auryn blinked at Katsuki's worried gaze. "Why do you want to know so badly?" She asked in a cynical tone; narrowing her eyes at him.

Katsuki bolted back into his seat. "Well, it would help to know what to look out for if you go into one of those, right? And what to do if you can't help yourself. I'm sure no one else knows about your asthma, right?" He declared in a defensive tone; scratching his cheek in embarrassment.

"Well, if you really wanna know," Auryn said; giving into his diligence, "it can be as minor as shortness of breath or as major as passing out from lack of oxygen getting into my lungs."

"What would anyone do if that happens?" Katsuki pressed urgently; leaning closer to the girl.

"If I pass out? I start breathing on my own automatically. But I still need to get a breathing treatment or at least my inhaler to open my air waves." Auryn replied in a logical tone; looking away from Katsuki.

"How would you get any of that if you're passed out?" Katsuki asked in a worried tone.

Auryn shifted in her seat. "That's the tricky part: Someone would have to hold me to their chest so my breathing can even out with theirs, wait until I exhale and press the rest of the air out of my lungs, stick the inhaler in my mouth, and squeeze it until the vapor comes out. Easy as that!" She explained as if she were a parent explaining something to a child.

After she noticed that Katsuki looked like he was in great distress, she gasped and quickly shook her hands in front of her face. "Oh, but it's nothing to worry about – I swear! I normally catch myself LONG before it gets that bad! And the breathing treatments help prevent them from happening!"

Katsuki sighed and relaxed in his seat and leaned back against the bench. "That's good to know…" He said in a relieved tone. "Okay, so what causes asthma? I mean, what triggers it?"

"My allergies normally are the cause of my attacks. Chemical fumes, dust, pollen, high humidity, or over exerting myself." Auryn answered in a logical tone; cracking a slight smile.

Auryn was about to say something more to the ashy blonde boy next to her, but a robotic voice sounded throughout the station. It said that the train that Auryn was supposed to take was now boarding.

"Well, that's my train." Auryn said in a weary tone; shoving her inhaler in her pocket and standing up from the bench. "If you truly want to know more about asthma, then you'll either wait till I get back or just look it up online. "Knowledge is power" is what I always say!"

Katsuki jumped up to his feet. "Are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?" He asked in a concerned tone; watching her slip the straps of her backpack on her shoulders.

Auryn groaned and rolled her eyes in response. "I've taking the train by myself sense I was eight years old, Katsuki." She said in an all-knowing tone; giving him a playful smirk.

"Text me when you make there." Katsuki demanded in a firm tone; giving her a hardened glare.

Auryn giggled and waved him off. "Yes, father." She joked as she shifted her body to walk away.

Katsuki didn't know why he did it, but he quickly wrapped his arms around her body and gave her a hug from behind before he could stop himself. It was instinct pulling him to her.

Auryn smiled faintly to herself and leaned back against his chest. "I'll miss you, too, Katsuki." She whispered quietly to him, as she gently pushed herself away from him, and gave him a soft peck on the cheek before she shifted her weight to start moving over towards the platform.

Katsuki stared at her retreating form in a daze. 'She – she just… KISSED me…' He thought in a shocked smile on his face.

He watched her until she was out of sight; before he pumped a fist high into the air. He couldn't believe that he had just got kissed by a girl. Well, it was a kiss on the cheek, but he still counted it as a kiss all the same.

Maybe this weekend wouldn't be so bad after all…


	3. Keep It Going

Chapter Three: Keep It Going

 _I was raised in a bad place._

 _I was a prisoner in a cage with no bars._

 _They locked me up and threw away the key!_

 _Now, I'm just a shadow,_

 _Of whom I once was._

 _It's really a shame what they made though…_

The weekend came and went by in a blur for the students of U. A. . Everyone was either dreading going back – or excited to get back to their studies. Some of them just wanted to see their friends and talk about their weekend like normal students.

Katsuki was one of the students who had mixed feelings about going back to school. He was pretending that he dreaded coming back in front of his classmates, but he was secretly excited to see them again. Well, one particular student to be more precise.

He had spent the entire weekend texting Auryn all weekend like they had planned, and he couldn't be more happy to have someone occupy his time, but he wished that she was with him in person. He was a little sad that she was gone for the whole weekend, but his spirits were lifted when she asked him to pick her up from the train station on Sunday. However, his happiness was short-lived when he saw her…

When she stepped off the train, Auryn had her head hung low – like someone had crushed her spirit. She had bandages on her neck, her gray hair had covered half of her face, and when she looked up at him, her hair fell away from her face to reveal that she also had an eye patch covering her right eye; showing only her violet eye. She had such a hollow look on her face that he could almost swear that she looked like a dead-girl walking!

When he asked her what happened, she opened her mouth to form words, but no sound came out; making her look like all the life had drained out of her bony body. It was like she had lost her voice. No… it was worse than that. It was like she lost her will to speak! He knew something happened to her, but she couldn't speak. He figured that it must've been shock that was making her unable to speak.

 **Right now,** he was waiting by the front gate. He kept away from his fellow classmates so he could see Auryn. He knew she would be coming around the corner around that time, so it was only a matter of time before he would get to see her again.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the familiar sound of metal being dragged on the concrete, and his head jerked up to look in the direction it was coming from to see Auryn walking down the sidewalk.

Katsuki saw that her hair was neatly braided like she had when she first came to school, and the bandages were still in place like the other day, and she still had the eye patch over her eye.

Auryn looked up and seen Katsuki walking over towards her. She smiled weakly at him, but didn't stop walking. She did, however, motion for him to walk with her.

"Are you feeling better today, Auryn?" He asked in a rough tone; watching her face closely.

She did look much better in his eyes – despite the obvious injuries. But he wanted to be sure she was really okay. He wanted to hear her voice again. He NEEDED to know she was okay.

Auryn nodded in response, but still didn't say a word to him. She moved her mouth to speak, but she stopped and looked down at herself when no sound came out of her mouth.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a urgent tone; giving her a slightly concerned look. "Why won't you talk to me? Did something happen to you while you were visiting your family?"

Auryn shook her head and gave him a look that told him to drop it. He knew that look all too well, but that didn't stop him from actually CARING about her. Auryn was fine (minus the little asthma scare) when she boarded the train Friday afternoon, but she wasn't fine when she came back. And seeing the state she was in now only confirmed that something or someone hurt her. And the fact that he couldn't help her only served to fuel his anger.

 **When the two made it to their homeroom,** everyone was worried about Auryn when they saw the shape she was in. They asked her all kinds of questions and Eraserhead could tell that they were scaring her, so he broke them up and sent them to their desks. He quickly started their lessons like he always did, but that didn't stop his students from being worried about the poor girl.

And the same thing happened throughout the day. The students would try to get Auryn to speak, but she didn't say anything and began to panic; making the other teachers step in and kept them from bothering her. They even tried to get her to talk while they were at lunch, but she kept silent. It wasn't until the end of the day when a select few students stayed behind and cornered both Auryn and Katsuki.

Tenya, Ochaco, Ikuzu, and a few other students all rushed over to them with the same worried looks on their faces. Denki and Eijiro closed the door and stood on either side of it to keep them inside and to make sure no one would sneak up on them.

"What happened to you, Auryn?! Did Katsuki hurt you for some reason?! Did you have an accident or something?! Are you okay?!" Ochaco asked in a worried tone; leaning into Auryn's personal space to look at Auryn's eye patch and the bandages around her neck.

"I bet Katsuki smacked you around a few times and you fell, right? Is that what happened?" Denki asked in a concerned tone; giving Katsuki a threatening glare. "He hurt you and threatened you to not tell anyone, didn't he?"

Katsuki jumped away from the group in shock. "WHAT?! I WOULDN'T DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO AURYN! I'LL KILL YOU FOR EVEN THINKING I'D STOOP THAT LOW!" Katsuki roared angrily; trying to reach out to grab the blonde, but was held back by Tenya.

Auryn shifted her body to put herself between Katsuki and the other teens. She gave them a firm look and shook her head at them.

"Then what happened to you? Come on, Auryn, please tell us what happened!" Ikuzu asked in a worried tone; giving her a pleading look. "We're just worried about you and we want to help you."

Auryn looked over at the group for a few moments and sighed. She then closed her eye as tightly as she could and opened her mouth as wide as she could as if she were screaming at the top of her lungs. Expecting to hear a loud scream, the only sound that come from the bony girl was the sound of air being pushing out of her lungs.

"Huh? What was that?" Ochaco asked in a confused tone; tilting her head to the side. "What happened to your voice?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Shouto called out from the doorway; making the group turn their heads to look over at him. "She lost her voice."

Auryn smiled gratefully at the duel eyed boy behind her and nodded quickly at him. She then looked around the room, and moved over towards the chalkboard. She picked up the chalk on podium and began writing on the board, and began to as quickly as she could.

The letters were sloppy and crooked, but she letters spelled out words that were easily to understand.

'Correct.' She spelled out; turning towards the others and pointing to the word on the chalkboard.

"So what happened?" Denki asked in a concerned tone; looking over at Auryn. Auryn turned back to the board, and quickly erased the word to write another word.

'I was fighting with one of my cousins, and got hurt.' She quickly wrote out; moving away from the board so they could see what she wrote.

"Are you saying someone hurt you?" Katsuki asked with a growl in his voice; his shoulders shaking in anger. He saw her nodding her head. "I'LL KILL 'EM!" He roared angrily as he made a move towards the door.

Auryn gasped silently, and darted over towards him; grabbing his arm; making them both fall to the ground with her on top of him. She raised herself up enough to give him an evil glare. It was like she was trying to tell him to leave it alone.

She then scrambled to get off of him, and dragged him over towards the board. She picked the chalk back up and scribbled another sentence on it.

'He was helping me build strength in my legs so I will be able to RECOVER faster and be more like you!' Auryn wrote out; tapping on the board to emphasize her point to them.

"You were trying to build up strength in your legs?" Tenya questioned in a skeptical tone; adjusting his glasses to read the message. "Then how did you hurt your neck or your eye?"

Auryn sighed and quickly erased the message on the board. She then moved over towards the windows on the opposite side of the room, and slipped her arms out of her crutches. The students watched with curiosity as she placed the crutches against the air conditioners, and began walking over towards the group.

She wobbled a few times in their direction without holding onto any of the furniture. They could all tell by the pained look on her face that she was hurting, but she had a fierce look in her eyes that told them all that she determined to go as far as she could.

And she actually made it half-way across the room before her legs gave out and she fell sideways. It would've have been so bad for her to fall on the floor, but she stumbled and fell against one of the desks; smacking her head against it as she fell; causing her to blackout and everyone in the room to panic and rush to her aid.

Katsuki was the first to reach her and pulled her into his lap. He tried to shake her awake, and realized that she was out cold; making everyone around them to panic even more. He was about to pick her up to carry her out of the room, but he thought he heard something from the girl in his arms, and with everyone around them shouting and running around the room – he couldn't be too sure.

"WILL ALL OF YOU JUST SHUT UP FOR A FUCKING SECOND?!" He shouted at them; making them all stop what they were doing and turn to look over at him.

He then bounced the girl up to rest her head on his shoulder and he leaned his ear closer to her lips to hear her breathing. He jerked his head away from her in shock. He knew what that sound was: She was having an asthma attack. He did research (like she had suggested while they were at the train station) on asthma and found audio files of someone having an asthma attack so he would know what sounds to watch out for. He also looked up how to assist someone with similar cases based off of the information she had explained to him so he would be prepared to help her where she would be unable to help herself. And he was glad he did – because NOW would be one of those cases.

He quickly looked up at his fellow classmates, and demanded them to go through her belonging to look for her inhaler while he maneuvered her to sit with her back pressed tightly to his chest while they searched for her medication.

Once Tenya found what he was looking for, he quickly went over to Katsuki and pressed the inhaler to her lips while Katsuki pressed as much air out of her lungs as he could when she exhaled and Tenya squeezed the device to release the vapor into her mouth. Katsuki told Tenya to hold both her nose and mouth closed (which caused him to panic).

"JUST DO IT! I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING, DAMNIT!" Katsuki snapped angrily; not taking his eyes off of the girl in his arms. "We have to repeat the process again because you missed your chance!" He stated in an impatient tone.

"The vapor has to stay in her lungs in order for it to take effect." Shouto reasoned in a logical tone; nodding in agreement. "All you'd have to do is hold your hand over her mouth and nose for ten seconds and release."

They repeated their actions once again, and this time, Tenya didn't hesitate to hold his hands over Auryn's mouth and nose. He slowly counted to ten (A/N: 1- 1000, 2-1000 just like that!) before he finally let go of her face.

And like magic, Auryn jerked forward and started coughing a few times. However, because she couldn't speak, it only sounded like (to the group) a rat being strangled. Despite the fact that she was now breathing better, she was still knocked unconscious. When she stopped coughing, Katsuki eased her back against his chest to help her even out her breathing (like she had told him at the station).

"How in the world did you know what to do, Katsuki?" Ikuzu asked in an impressed tone; watching his rival hold onto the girl.

Katsuki growled at the green-haired male. "It's none of your damned business, DEKU!" He shouted angrily; giving him a nasty glare.

"Stop yelling, Katsuki." Tenya said in a polite warning; standing up from his place on the floor.

The brown-haired girl gasped and rushed over towards the door. "I'll go get Recovery Girl!" She declared in a hurried tone as she opened the door.

Katsuki called after Ochaco. "No, I'll take her to her office." He said in a determined tone; getting up off the floor with Auryn in his arms.

The group all waited for Katsuki to walk out of the room before they all exchanged sly looks at one another. Tenya grabbed Auryn's crutches while Ikuzu picked up her discarded inhaler and bag. Then they quickly followed after him and stayed close to him. Tenya explained that they'd keep a clear path of all the lingering students away while they moved down the hall and held the doors open for him.

 **Once they all arrived at Recovery Girl's office and explained what had happened,** she immediately commanded Katsuki to put Auryn on the bed and told them all to wait outside the office while she took care of the injured girl.

While they were outside of the office, Denki stood next to Katsuki with his hands behind his head and Ikuzu made sure to stand next to Tenya in case Katsuki were to lash out at him. Ochaco stood next to Denki and Shouto while they all waited. It was a tense silence that none of them could stand.

"So, spill the beans already, Katsuki," Denki said in a sneaky tone, "how did you know what to do when Auryn fell down?"

"I must admit that I, too, am a bit curious about that." Shouto added in a flat tone; folding his arms over his chest.

Katsuki huffed and looked away from the group. "For starters," he said roughly; giving the two males standing with him against the wall an evil glare, "Auryn has chronic asthma. And Secondly, she told me what to do if she ever had an asthma attack."

"Oh, so she went into an asthma attack back in the other room?" Tenya questioned in a careful tone; lifting a finger to fix his glasses in place. "That would explain why she passed out back there."

Katsuki nodded in confirmation. "Well, she didn't exactly tell me all of that… I looked most of that stuff up online over the weekend." He said in a bitter tone; looking down at his shoes and gripping his arms tightly.

"It's still pretty cool of you to know what to do in such a critical time, Katsuki!" Ikuzu declared in a proud tone; giving the ashy blonde boy a brave smile and making Katsuki blush bright pink.

Denki chuckled at the boy standing next to him. "Don't bother trying to cover it up, man! We all know you like Auryn." He teased the other boy; causing Eijiro to snicker along with him.

"And how did YOU know she has asthma when no one else did?" Eijiro inquired in the same teasing tone; pressing the explosion hero in-training for answers.

Katsuki jumped away from the two in surprise. "What are you talking about? I don't like her that way!" He protested hotly; moving away from the group.

"I can see in your eyes as plain as day! There's no use hiding it, pal!" Eijiro declared; giving Katsuki a playful smirk. "And I can prove it, too!"

Katsuki snorted and folded his arms over his chest. "Good luck with that." He challenged in an arrogant tone; hiding his nervousness as best he could.

"This I've got to hear…" Shouto mumbled under his breath; mimicking Katsuki's posture.

"Okay, I'm out." Tenya said with his hands in the air as he pushed himself away from the wall and started to walk away. "Let me know how she's doing when you see her."

"I've got to be getting home, too," Ochaco said in a disappointed tone; following after the taller boy and Ikuzu following suit.

Eijiro and Denki waited until the trio was out of range before they exchanged devious smirks with one another before they both looked over at Katsuki. Denki moved to stand on the other side of Katsuki while Eijiro took his place.

"Let me put it to you this way, man," Denki started in a slightly serious tone, "what would you do if someone was trying to hurt Auryn?"

"I'd kick their sorry asses for fucking with her." Katsuki replied with an annoyed growl; glaring cynically at the blonde.

"How about if she's upset or crying?" Eijiro added; leaning forward to look at the boy standing next to him.

"I guess I'd try to cheer her up." Katsuki replied with a lazy shrug.

"And how about when she smiles at you?" Denki asked in a friendly tone; looking over at the red head standing on his other side.

Katsuki looked between the two with a defensive glare. "Why do you want to know?" He shot back; his face a mixture of annoyance and confusion.

"We're just trying to make a point." Denki said in a logical tone; holding his hands up in defense. "How about I try and guess how you feel when she smiles?"

Katsuki snorted and folded his arms back over his chest. "Give me your best shot." He answered in an arrogant tone; smirking deviously while he thought they'd never be able to guess right.

Eijiro nodded and leaned back against the wall. "Okay then, here it goes:," he started in a readied tone; looking up at the ceiling as if his thoughts were being displayed up there, "whenever she smiles, it feels like the world isn't as dark as it seems. You feel like you can do anything and your heart might even skip a few beats. And it gives you another reason to keep going, right?"

"Yeah, man, and you feel better on a real shitty day when she smiles at you, too, right? I mean, you're not as much of a hard-ass whenever she's around and you actually spend more time with HER than the rest of us! I'll even bet that you'd do whatever it takes just to keep that smile on her face, because it almost hurts when it's gone, right?" Denki chimed in; helping Eijiro out.

By the time the two were done explaining their observation to Katsuki, he couldn't help but to stare at them when they both moved to stand in front of him – his eyes were wide with shock. They actually had him pegged! How could they have possibly known how he felt? He thought he hid his actions from them.

"How did you know all that?" Katsuki asked in a shocked tone; unfolding his arms and letting them hang limply at his sides.

The two males in front of him both laughed and shook their heads. "It's not rocket science, man! I mean, why else would you go out of your way to research ASTHMA and its symptoms? OR how to help someone whenever they got into an asthma attack?" Denki said in a reasoning tone; shrugging his shoulders in response.

"If it was any other female student, you probably wouldn't give them the time of day, either." He added in a thoughtful tone; giving Katsuki a playful wink. "And I'll be willing to put my life on the line and say that Auryn likes you, too, Katsuki."

Katsuki blushed and looked down at himself with a stunned expression on his. He didn't say anything because he was too shocked at the mere suggestion of Auryn liking him. The two boys in front of him took his silence as a good sign to keep it going.

"You think so, too, Denki?!" Eijiro exclaimed excitedly; giving the blonde a surprised look.

"Well, who DOESN'T see it? I mean, the way they spend so much time together, you'd think they'd hook up by now." Denki said in a careless tone.

Shouto sighed and gripped the bridge of his nose in aggravation. He walked over towards the two and placed his fingers under both of jaws. "Alright, you two, you've made your point. Now, let's go before he decides to blow up the school and kill us all." He said in a flat tone; dragging them away.

He looked back at Katsuki (who just stood there shocked in their wake). "Take care of her." He said in a simple tone; his eyes glaring in a warning.

Katsuki watched them leave and waited until they were around the corner before sighed and leaned all of his weight against the wall behind him.

Were they right? Did he really develop his feelings for Auryn so quickly? Was he that obvious? Did everyone know? Did SHE know? Should he tell her? How would she react?

He snorted at his thoughts. 'She'd probably just go in another asthma attack or something.' He thought bitterly to himself as he looked down on himself.

He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard the door slide open and Recovery Girl poked her head out into the hall.

"Oh, did everyone else leave already?" She asked in a disappointed tone; looking around for the rest of the group.

Katsuki nodded and sighed in defeat. "They all said they had something to do." He explained with a weary shrug of his shoulders. "I wanted to stay and see how she was doing."

The old woman nodded in understanding. "Well, she's recovering just fine now, and she's awake." She told him a caring tone. "Why don't you come inside and see how she's doing? I'm sure she'd be happy to see you."

Katsuki followed her into the room, and went over to see Auryn sitting up in the bed; looking down herself with shame written clearly on her face.

"Hey, Auryn." Katsuki said quietly; taking a seat near the bed. "How're ya feeling?"

Auryn groaned and leaned into her legs. "I feel like a class-A idiot…" She whispered in a hoarse tone.

Katsuki's eyes softened at the sound of her voice. "Hey, you can talk again!" He said in a surprised tone; giving her a slight smile.

"I noticed something wasn't right when she first woke up and I immediately knew what to do!" Recovery Girl chimed in a motherly tone; picking up her equipment. "I gave her a breathing treatment and some hot tea and now her vocal cords are back to normal – well, for her standards anyway, and now I'm about to go make her an ice pack for the bump on her head."

Katsuki nodded to the old woman and turned his attention back to Auryn. Auryn sighed and leaned back against the pillows.

"Okay, Katsuki," she said in a weary tone; closing her eyes as if she were bracing herself for something, "let's have it."

Katsuki tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?" He asked in a defensive tone; watching her face scrunch up.

"You're going to yell at me or something, right?" She questioned in a hollow tone; not bothering her open her eyes to look up at him. "I overdid it and probably scared the living shit out of you and the rest of the guys."

Katsuki sighed and shook his head. "Well, you do KINDA deserve it for making everyone worry, and I won't deny and say that I wasn't scared when you collapsed, but I'm willing to overlook it if you answer a few questions for me." He responded in a serious tone; giving her a determined look.

Auryn opened her eyes to look over at him. "Okay. Shoot." She said in a ready tone; sitting up on the bed.

"Why did you push yourself so hard back there? You know, walking without your crutches and all that." He asked; keeping his focus on her.

Auryn shrugged her shoulders. "I wanted to prove to everyone that I really AM trying to get better… I can actually walk a lot further than that on my own though." She answered without missing a beat.

"Then why did you go into an asthma attack?" Katsuki challenged in a firm tone; folding his arms over his chest.

"Well, I WAS standing next to the air conditioners when I started walking. If it wasn't the dust somewhere that got me – it was probably the mold from somewhere in the ventilation. Quite possibly stress from all the students crowding us in like they did – I'm not really sure on that one."

Katsuki nodded. "I'm also going to assume that the reason you fell and hit your head was because of your asthma then." He said in a wise tone.

Auryn shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I have been stressed out a lot today…" She said in a thoughtful tone; looking up at the ceiling.

There was a brief moment of silence between the two. But Katsuki wasn't done asking his questions yet. "How did you get hurt?" He asked in a serious tone.

Auryn closed one eye at him. "You were there when I fell, Katsuki." She answered flatly; giving him a bitter look.

Katsuki stood up from his seat and leaned on the bed. "THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT AND YOU FUCKING KNOW IT!" He yelled angrily.

"Oh, you meant about my bandages. My bad." Auryn said in a nervous tone; leaning away from the boy beside her. "Okay, here's what happened: while I was staying at the main house this weekend. I was working on building strength back up in my legs, right? Well, after walking around without my crutches for a few hours, my cousin had a bright idea to see if I she could send me into an asthma attack by blowing smoke in my face… I coughed so hard that I wasn't paying attention to where I going and fell down the stairs and crashed through a window."

Katsuki huffed and sat back down on the bed beside her legs. "Okay. That might explain the eye patch you had on earlier," he said in a relented tone; giving her a nod, "But that doesn't explain the bandages around your neck, Auryn."

Auryn groaned and reached up to touch her neck. "You've been asking me all these questions since you walked through that door. Now, I'M going to ask you a few questions." She said calmly; not looking up at the boy.

She then took his silence and uneasiness as a signal to go ahead. "First off, have you ever ONCE heard me ask you about your family or your family's affairs?" She asked in a serious tone; leaning into herself but still not looking over at Katsuki.

"Uh – no – I don't think so." Katsuki answered in an unsure tone; looking over at the girl.

Auryn nodded. "Okay, now, have I ever kept asking you about your personal problems?" She asked with the same seriousness in her voice.

Katsuki shook his head in response. "No. You haven't." He replied with a nervous tone; this time with his shoulders tensed up.

"I haven't, have I?" Auryn asked calmly; tilting her head to the side. "Well then… maybe I SHOULD start asking you all those personal questions and see how YOU like it!" She said with a darkened warning; finally moving her eyes to look over at the boy next to her with a threatening glare. "I'll even do you one better and ask you personal questions in front of the ENTIRE homeroom class and see how YOU like having people stare at you and judge you with the same pitiful look that they've given ME whenever YOU do that to me."

Katsuki gasped in shock. 'Have I really been doing that to her?' He couldn't help but wonder as he watched the deadly glare only intensified with each word she spoke. 'Why couldn't I see how I've been treating her until now? It's not like I was actually trying to single her out or anything! I'm just worried about her! She's actually the only one my class that doesn't tease me or joke about me at my expense.'

Katsuki took a few moments to let Auryn's words sink in before he sighed and slumped forward in his seat on the bed. "I'm sorry, Auryn." He mumbled in a defeated tone as he hung his head in shame. "It's just that – I really… CARE… about you. I mean, I feel like you're the only person here that DOESN'T tease me or do stupid shit that pisses me off. I feel like you don't judge me and no matter how bad of a day I'm having, you always seem to know how to make me feel better.

And the thought of seeing you every day with a new bandage or if someone is bothering you, I get so angry with both them AND myself. I'm mad at the ones making you uncomfortable and I'm madder at myself for not being able to protect you. I can't help it – it just… happens." He said in a defeated tone; trying his best to stay calm. "I've never really fucking CARED about anyone else like I care about you before."

Auryn gasped at the boy sitting next to her. She had no idea that she had big of an impact on U. A.'s biggest bad boy. She thought he liked her well enough, but she never imagined he felt THAT strongly for her.

Without her knowledge, tears had started running down her cheeks. When she realized that she was crying, she quickly bowed her head and her shoulders shook with each passing sob.

No one had ever told her anything like that when she was younger. Everyone always wrote her off or rejected her. But hearing someone actually say that they care about her or like her, it made her feel like she wasn't a NOBODY anymore! She was finally SOMEBODY in someone's eyes!

Katsuki jumped back slightly when he noticed Auryn was crying. "HEY, DON'T FUCKING CRY, AURYN! I DIDN'T MEAN TO HURT YOUR FEELINGS OR ANYTHING!" He yelled in a frantic tone; not knowing what to do for her.

Auryn took a deep breath and tried to get control over herself. "No, Katsuki, you didn't make me upset or anything… it's just – no one has ever told me half of the things you said…" She managed to say in a broken tone; lifting her head up to look at him.

She quickly raised her hand to stop Katsuki from talking when she saw him open his mouth to say something. "For as long as I can remember, everyone I've ever known has treated me like I was a Nobody – like I wasn't even there and that I didn't matter… I was actually starting to give up on myself – I figured that if nobody cared, then why should I? My world had been so dark for so long…

But YOU saw me when no one else did. YOU are the reason why I push myself beyond my limits and in your own unique way, you are MY HERO – you saved me when no one else would even bother. So, thanks, Katsuki… thanks for being my hero. I won't give up on myself anymore. I WILL get stronger so you won't have to worry about me and I will be able to stand on my own as long as you're with me."

Katsuki kept silent for a moment. He didn't know what to say for the longest time. He had never been someone's hero before. Heck, he didn't even think he was actually helping Auryn as much as she said, but he was still grateful for her speech. He now felt better about saying all those things he had just told her.

He then sighed and stood up from his place on the bed and gave her a cocky smile. "All this mushy shit is making me wanna vomit." He said in a rough tone; turning away from her. "But still…" he added while he looked over his shoulder at her with the same cocky smirk, "thanks for telling me all that… I mean it, Auryn. I will try my best to help you out in any way I can and as much as I can. I promise."

Auryn chuckled and held her hand out to him. "Good. You can help me outta 'ere!" She said in a joking tone; giving him a brave smile.

Katsuki laughed and took a hold of her hand. He helped her off the bed and handed her the crutches propped up against the desk.

After they had made it a few blocks away from the school, he stopped at their normal crosswalk where they would split up to go to their respective houses.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Katsuki. Be careful on your way home." Auryn said in a gentle tone; turning to walk away.

Katsuki reached out and grabbed Auryn's hand. "Wait, Auryn! I need to ask you something!" He called out in an embarrassed tone; looking down at the ground.

Auryn looked over at Katsuki with a blank stare. Something then flashed past her eyes, and she smiled sweetly at him. "Don't worry, Katsuki," she spoke with a faint smile on her face, "I won't tell anyone what you said back in Recovery Girl's office. I promise I'll take it to the grave."

Katsuki then stared at her for a moment and let go of her hand. She then turned back around and moved closer to him. She then leaned in closer to him, and planted a faint kiss on his cheek like she had did when they were at the train station.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" Auryn said as she turned to walk away from him.

Katsuki stood there frozen in place for a few moments, before he lifted his hand up to touch the cheek. He didn't even know he had a soft smile on his face until he felt the muscles stretching under his skin…


	4. Letting Go

Chapter Four: Letting Go

 _Keep smiling while you struggle._

 _Don't give up on yourself._

 _Don't give up without a fight!_

 _You have to make it through the bad days,_

 _To earn the best days of your life!_

The next few weeks had gone by fairly quickly for Auryn and the rest of her classmates. She talked more than she used to and she seemed to smile a lot more. She had told everyone that was with her when she fell and hit her head that she was sorry for scaring everyone and explained what had happened and why she did what she did. They scolded her for her carelessness, but forgave her because they believed she was justified in her actions. (Much to her relief).

Katsuki seemed to be more relaxed and more patient with his classmates whenever they would tease him about his feelings for Auryn, but he still had some trouble controlling his temper. And Auryn was always there to calm him down and made sure he didn't go too far by either pinching him (to distract him so the others would back away) or standing in his way from going after them. He often yelled at her, but he never went too far with it.

Right now, it was Friday afternoon and the students from class 1-A were chatting quietly about their plans for the weekend or trying to do their homework so they wouldn't have to do it when they got home.

Auryn was sitting at her desk; drawing in her sketchbook when Katsuki walked up and put the chair in front of her desk. Auryn looked up at him with a blank look on her face.

"What's up, Katsuki?" She asked with a bright smile; closing her sketchbook to give him her full attention.

"What are you doing this weekend?" He asked automatically; sitting down in the chair.

Auryn looked over at Katsuki with a smirk. "Why do you want to know?" She asked in a playful tone; leaning into her desk.

Katsuki shrugged his shoulders. "No reason… I was just curious." He replied in a rough tone; leaning back in his chair.

Auryn giggled and her smirk grew wider. "Liar! You didn't make any plans, did you?" She said in a sly tone; making him look over at her with a nervous expression. "I knew it! You don't have anything to do this weekend and you felt left out!"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE! I DO NOT FEEL LEFT OUT!" He shouted in protest; standing up in his seat.

Auryn chuckled and waved his temper off. "Calm down, Katsuki," she said in a lazy tone; giving him a cheerful smile, "I was just pulling your chain. There's no need to make a fuss. Sit down before everyone thinks you're gonna blow me up or something."

Katsuki sighed and sat back down in the chair. Auryn then turned her smirk into a kind smile when she saw him relax in his seat, and started to clean off her desk.

"If you really what to know what I'm going to be doing this weekend, I'm going to go down by the river after school to do a little bit of training." Auryn said in a proud tone; giving Katsuki an arrogant smile.

"Training? What for?" Katsuki asked as he watched her put her things away.

Auryn groaned and put her bag on the hook on the edge of her desk. "My guardian wants me to do a little extra training this weekend so I can build the strength in my legs again." She explained in a tired tone; leaning back against her chair and covering her eyes with her arms. "It's not that I'm complaining or anything, but my evaluation is coming up and she wants me to be ready for it."

Katsuki raised a brow at her. "Evaluation? What KIND of evaluation?" He questioned in a curious tone.

Auryn rolled her eyes. "It's not what you're thinking." She said without missing a beat. "The Family doctor is just going to see how my bones and muscle tissue is healing." She said in a lazy tone; acting like it didn't bother her, but he could tell in her voice that she was a little nervous.

"Bones and muscle tissue? What are you talking about" He asked in a curious tone; looking her up and down.

Just as Auryn was about to respond, the bell rang and all the students began to leave the room. Auryn watched them all leave; before she got up and picked her bag up.

"I'll tell you about it on the way home." She said as she reached over towards to pick her bag.

Katsuki grabbed the bag out of her hand and threw it over his own bag. He then handed her the crutches and waited for her to join him at the door.

 **After they made it off school grounds,** Auryn looked over at Katsuki, and saw that he had a serious look on his face. She had hoped that he had forgotten about what she told him at school, but it looked like she wasn't so lucky.

"Okay, here's the low-down," she said with a weary sigh, "the reason why I have to have an evaluation is to see how my bones are healing – nothing serious – just some x-rays. No big deal. I've been going to do them for a while now. It's nothing new to me. The whole muscle tissue-thing is just the ones around my bones." Auryn explained in a tired tone; stopping at the crosswalk.

"How exactly DID you get hurt in the first place?" Katsuki asked as he watched her throw her weight to the side so she would turn the corner.

"I was in a nasty car accident last year. My dumbass self wasn't wearing a safety belt and I went through the windshield. That's what happens when you don't wear a seatbelt so don't repeat my mistake and you won't turn out like me." She said with a playful wink; making him blush.

After a few moments of being stunned, Katsuki shook his head. "Damn that's real shitty." He said flatly; wincing at the images of a battered and broken Auryn lying in the streets.

Auryn shrugged her shoulders. "It's not so bad… Yeah, it hurt for a while, but now, I'm doing a whole lot better and pretty soon I'll be walking on my own and I'm chalking it off as a lesson learned." She said in a lazy tone; giving him a brave smile.

"I'll go with you." Katsuki said in a determined tone; not taking his eyes off of Auryn as she made her way over towards the last house on the edge of town.

Auryn missed a step and staggered forward. "What? Why?" She asked in a shocked tone; blinking up at the male beside her.

"What? Clean the shit outta your fucking ears!" He snapped in a defensive tone. "I said that I'm going with you and you're not gonna stop me!"

Auryn blinked a few more times at Katsuki – looking deeply into his eyes. She knew Katsuki well enough to know that he is Hell-bent once he made up his mind and it was extremely difficult to change his mind. And she once again found submitting to his demands.

"Fine. If you wanna waste your weekend on me – then I'm not gonna stop you. At least you'll be entertained when you get to see me fall flat on my face." Auryn said in a laid back tone; shrugging her shoulders in response.

Katsuki was about to protest, but he heard Auryn agreed to his demand, and stared blankly at her. "Good. Now, let's head over to my place so I can change my clothes. Then we'll head over to your place so you can change. We're closer to my house than we are to your house." He said in a final tone; looking around to make sure he was right.

Auryn shook her head. "I can change my clothes at your house because I have a change of clothes in my bag." She said with a shrug of her bony shoulders.

"Whatever."

 **After the two made it to Katsuki's house,** they were bombarded by a woman that had the same ashy blonde hair as Katsuki (but it was much longer and more neater than his). She wasn't as fair-skinned as he was, but she could tell she was Katsuki's mother – or at the very least related to him.

"Welcome home, Katsuki! How was school?" She said in an excited tone; wrapping her arms around him.

She then let go of him and turned her attention back to the girl standing behind him. "Oh, you brought a friend home with you. My name Kyoko Bakugou! I'm this lil' dare devil's mother! It's so nice to meet you!" She exclaimed as she wrapped Auryn in a bear hug.

Auryn tensed up in the woman's arms. "Uh – it's nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Bakugou… M-my name is Auryn Honda." She responded politely.

"Oh, YOU'RE Auryn Honda?!" Mrs. Bakugou exclaimed in a surprised tone; letting the girl go and looking over at Katsuki. "Katsuki, you never told me that Auryn was THIS beautiful! And so polite, too!"

Auryn blushed madly and looked down at herself. "…Um, thank you…" She said in a modest tone. "I get it from my dad…"

"And modest to boot!" Mrs. Bakugou said in a pleased tone; smiling over at Katsuki. "You better treat this one right, son. She's a good match for you."

The two teens blushed beet red at the older woman's words. Auryn kept quiet, but Katsuki yelled at his mother – saying that Auryn was just a friend from school.

"Are you going to stay for dinner, Auryn? It'd be no problem and I'm sure you'd like to rest after coming all the way out here after a hard day at school." Mrs. Bakugou asked in a concerned tone; guiding the girl into the kitchen. "I've made some tea if you'd like some."

"SHE'S NOT STAYING FOR DINNER OR TEA!" Katsuki yelled as his mother ignored her son, and helped Auryn sit in a chair.

Auryn gave Katsuki a firm glare. "He's right, Mrs. Bakugou," she said with a shake of her head, "I'm only here so Katsuki and I could change our clothes and we're going to head out by the river so I can practice walking without my crutches."

Mrs. Bakugou sighed in disappointment. "Oh, I was hoping I could have a chance to get to know the girl my son always talks about." She said in a crestfallen tone; looking down at herself in shame.

Auryn whipped her head around to face Katsuki with a raised brow. "I wasn't aware that Katsuki talks about me…" She said in a clueless tone; giving his mother a happy smile. "But I'll be sure to have Katsuki home before dark. I'm sure there'll be plenty of chances for us to talk in the future, Mrs. Bakugou."

"I'M NOT A CHILD ANYMORE SO STOP TALKING ABOUT ME LIKE I'M STILL ONE! AND DON'T TALK ABOUT ME WHILE I'M STILL HERE!" He yelled in protest; holding his hand up and causing a small explosion to go off in his hand.

Mrs. Bakugou narrowed her eyes at the teen. "Well, go ahead and go change and you won't have to hear us talk then." She suggested in a light scolding tone; sticking her nose into the air.

Auryn watched as Katsuki huffed and stormed off towards the stairs she assumed lead up to his room. She then felt a small tap on her shoulder, and made her jerk away.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, sweetie. Katsuki told me about how you don't really liked being touched, but I didn't believe it until now." Mrs. Bakugou apologized. "Anyway, so, where are you going for training again? And what kind of training are you doing?"

Auryn looked down at her hands. "I'm going down to the river to practice walking without my crutches… I have an evaluation coming up and I want to try and get better so I won't have to use crutches anymore." She explained in a longing tone; looking up at Mrs. Bakugou with a sad smile. "I really want to be like everyone else again. And Katsuki said he wanted to come with me – for whatever reason – I don't know. I'm still not sure why he would want to waste his weekend with me, but he seems to have made up his mind and I can't stop him."

Mrs. Bakugou smirked knowingly at the girl in front of her. "I bet I know why he wants to spend time with you…" She said in a sing-song tone; getting up from her seat once again. "But I won't keep you two any longer. And if you're going to change your clothes, there's a bathroom right behind you, sweetie."

Auryn looked behind her and saw a corner and a doorknob sticking out of the wall. Auryn turned back around and nodded with a polite smile, as she picked up her crutches and her bag. She shifted herself over towards the wall and walked into the room.

She came out of the room dressed in the same style of clothes as she had worn before. And looked up to see Katsuki waiting for her; dressed in a black shirt and pants with white sneakers. She saw his muscled biceps and blushed faintly.

"Are you ready to go, Auryn?" Katsuki asked in a curious tone; watching Auryn lean her crutches against the wall so she could ease the strap of her backpack over her head.

Katsuki reached out and grabbed her bag out of her hands and walked away from the two females.

"Hey! That's my bag!" Auryn protested in a whiney tone; watching him move over towards the front door.

Katsuki opened the door and looked over his shoulder. "If you ever hope to see your bag in one piece; then you'll follow me." He said in a flat tone.

And just like that, he walked outside before anyone could say anything more. Auryn was left with her jaw slack and Mrs. Katsuki giggled nervously at her son.

"Wow, I've never seen Katsuki look so happy before!" Mrs. Bakugou said in an impressed tone; looking over at Auryn with a bright smile. "Please, keep doing whatever it is you're doing!"

Auryn tensed and shook her head. "Oh, no! I'm not doing anything special or anything!" She said quickly; blushing madly at the woman.

Mrs. Bakugou laughed and patted Auryn on her head. "Believe it or not, Auryn, but Katsuki is a lot calmer now than he was when he was younger. And I think YOU are the reason behind his change in behavior. And I'll prove it, too!" She said in a happy tone; leaning closer to her, and whispering in her ear. "Now, go on before he decides to blow up your bag! Have fun, do your best, and try not to push yourself too hard, okay?"

 **After the two finally made it to the river,** Katsuki helped Auryn down by the bank, and they walked over towards the bridge. He sat her bag (which was shockingly NOT damaged) and turned to look over at her.

"Okay, so how exactly are you planning on practicing walking without your crutches?" Katsuki asked in a blunt tone; watching Auryn slip out of her crutches and leaned them against the wall next to her bag.

"How do you think?" Auryn asked in a quirky tone; giving Katsuki a playful smirk; turning around to face him. "But since you're here, how about you be my motivation?"

Katsuki snapped to attention and looked over at her with a curious look. "And just how am I supposed to do that?" He asked in a confused tone; tilting his head to the side.

"Well, how about we try the long jump without the jumping?" Auryn suggested in an unsure tone; then quickly shaking her head when she saw Katsuki's jaw drop. "I mean where you stand a few meters away and I walk over towards you!"

Katsuki shrugged and turned around to walked away from her. He then turned back from her. "Are you sure about this, Auryn?" He questioned in a slightly worried tone. "You don't think your asthma will flare up or anything, do you?"

Auryn shrugged her shoulders. "I've got my inhaler just in case." She said in a lazy tone; pulling out the device from her pocket and showing him. "Besides, I have to take a chance if I ever want to be able to walk on my own again, right? Well, here it goes. I'm gonna take it slow so just be patient with me, okay?"

And just as she finished talking, Auryn took a few steps forward; walking slowly over towards the male. She felt a sharp pain shoot up her legs as she put her full weight on her legs, and tensed her whole body up; making her stop in her tracks.

Katsuki called out to Auryn, but she looked up at him with a determined glare. She gritted her teeth at him, and told him to stay where he was. Against his better judgment, he did as she told him, and stayed still; watching her took a few deep breaths.

After she finally made it to him, she looked up at him with a brave smile. "See, Katsuki? I told you I could do it." She said in a cocky tone. "How about we take it to the next level and you go further back? I know I can do better than this."

Katsuki stared down at Auryn for a few moments. He was actually about to tell her to stop, but he saw how determined she was, so he gave up and nodded. He jogged a little bit further away from her, and turned back around to face her.

Auryn nodded and began to walk towards him once again. They did this for another hour or so until they realized that they were pretty far away from Auryn's belongings. So, Katsuki suggested that they move back towards her belongings. He then reasoned with her saying that it was just a little bit more exorcise and that they could take a break then. Auryn then smiled back at him and watched as he ran past her and stopped right next to her bag and crutches. He then told her to come over.

After about a few more steps, Auryn had to stop to catch her breath. She then pulled out her inhaler and took a quick draw of the vapor. She heard Katsuki yell after her, but she shook her head and started walking again.

"Come on, Auryn! I know you can make it!" He yelled after her; urging her to keep going. "You're half way there! Keep going!"

By this time, Auryn's legs felt like they were on fire. The pain was starting to be too overwhelming for her, but she was determined to reach him. She wasn't pushing herself this hard for her own benefit; she was secretly pushing herself for Katsuki. She didn't want to always have to rely on him or anyone else. She had her fill of that to last her a lifetime, and she was Hell-bent to see it through.

"Okay, Auryn. I think that's enough for today." He called out; walking over towards her. He could tell she was at her limits and that she could seriously get hurt if she kept going. He knew it was wrong to let this go on – but he also wanted to take this chance to hold her. But he doesn't realize that he would ultimately get his chance either way.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" She screamed at the top of her lungs; making him stop dead in his tracks. "I'M GOING TO FINISH EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!"

And with that being promised, she took another step. "I have to keep going. Just a little more… more… more…" She grunted out in a deadly tone; keeping her focus on the boy as tears streamed down her face.

"Just stay there and I'll get you, damnit! You'll just tear yourself apart if you keep going!" He shouted angrily; panic starting to rise in his voice.

Auryn shook her head and took another step forward. "Keep going… don't quit… keep fighting… I can do this… this pain… is nothing compared to what I've been through…" She said between steps.

She finally stopped just a few feet in front of him, and he darted over towards before she collapsed against his broad frame. He wrapped his arms around her body, and held her close to him; keeping one hand around her waist and the other around her shoulders.

"You see, Katsuki? I told you I can do it." She whispered in a throaty tone; giving him a weaken smile.

Katsuki bit his lower lip and looked down at her. "Yeah, but who knows if what you just did back there made things worse! You shouldn't wear yourself out like that!" He said in a harsh tone; looking away from her. "But… I'm still proud of you."

Without another word, he picked her up bridle style, and carried her over towards her belongings. He sat her down on the ground, and took a seat next to her. He was so close to her that he was almost sitting on her lap.

"Why, Auryn? Why did you push yourself so hard?" Katsuki asked in a worried tone; watching her pant and try to catch her breath. "You're not having another asthma attack, are you?"

Auryn lay down on her back and looked up at the bridge above them. "No, Katsuki, I'm not having another asthma attack. I'm just out of breath. There's a difference." She said in a reassuring tone; not taking her eyes off the bridge. "And the reason why I pushed myself so hard is because I WANT to get better. I've had my fill of having to rely on others – and I don't want people to pity me. If there's one thing I can't stand more than my family – it's the looks I get from people."

Katsuki joined Auryn on the ground, and rested his hands behind his head. "I can understand that, but you should learn when to stop while you're ahead. You're only going to hurt yourself worse than you already are if you keep doing that." He said in an embarrassed tone; looking over at her with a crooked smile. "Besides, I actually don't mind you having to rely on me for help. In fact, I kinda LIKE it."

Auryn rolled over on her side and pushed herself up on her elbows. "Seriously? You actually LIKE carrying my things around and it doesn't bother you in the slightest?" She questioned in a skeptical tone; leaning over to look at his face.

Katsuki smiled broadly at her. "The only fucking thing I hate is when you go into an asthma attack. Nothing scares me more than seeing you like that." He said in an honest tone; his smile turning into a frown.

Auryn blinked down at him in surprise. "YOU?! Katsuki Bakugou?! Scared?! Ha! Don't make me laugh! You don't get scared! You're the bravest person I know!" She said in a mocking tone; giggling softly at him.

Katsuki sat up from his place on the ground and gave Auryn a serious look. "I'm serious, Auryn. I was scared out of my mind when you fell back in the classroom. I may have helped you get your inhaler to you, but inside, I was totally freaking out back there. I-I never want to see you like that ever again. You hear me? So, you better take it easy and realize your own fucking limits! Got it?" He said in a deadly tone; giving her a warning glare.

Auryn looked over at him for a moment, and sighed. "That was just a freak accident, Katsuki. I'm sorry I scared you like that… it's not like I did it on purpose or anything. But I understand your concern, and I promise to be more careful from now on." She said in a gentle tone; laying back down on her back.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them up to look up at the sky. The sun was setting. She sighed once again, and looked over at Katsuki with a brave smile.

"It's getting pretty late. We should start heading home soon." She spoke in a caring tone; starting to get up off the ground.

Katsuki groaned and stood up from the ground. He reached down and picked Auryn's things up before he scooped her up in his arms; earning a sharp yelp of surprise. She tried to get out of his arms, but he tightened his grip on her bony frame, and looked down at her.

"YOU'VE done enough walking for one day. Just sit tight, relax, and enjoy the ride." He said in a gentle tone; walking over towards the stairs and up the hill.

Auryn gave up struggling against him when she saw how determined he was. He made his way down the sidewalk and carried all the way towards the crosswalk where they normally parted ways. Auryn looked up at Katsuki and noticed he was looking down the roads where one lead to his house and the other lead to hers. He finally decided to turn to walk down the sidewalk that lead to his house.

"What are you doing, Katsuki? My house is in the other direction." Auryn protested in a curious tone; pointing behind him.

"What the fuck does it look like? I'm taking you to my house." He responded in a blunt tone; not missing a beat as he kept his eyes forward.

Auryn gasped in shock and struggled against him. "No, stop! It's getting too late to be visiting your place! I can make it back to my house before dark!" She shouted frantically; struggling against him more urgently.

Katsuki growled annoyingly at her. "Just chill out, okay? You can stay in our guest room for the night! It's not going to kill you to stay over for ONE night for fuck's sake! What? Do you really think I'm gonna stoop low enough to attack you in your sleep or something? Give me a break! I thought you trusted me more than that!" He growled angrily at the girl in his arms.

Auryn groaned and rolled her eyes at him. "I know you wouldn't do anything like that. You're not that stupid." She protested in a grumpy tone. "And it's not that I don't trust you or anything like that."

"Then what's the fucking problem?! Are you worried about my mom bothering you or something? 'Cause if you are, I'll make sure she leaves you alone if that's the case." He said in a more gentler tone; keeping his eyes focused on the sidewalk ahead.

"…That's not it, either…" Auryn mumbled incoherently; sighing at the realization that he wouldn't leave her alone if she didn't speak up. "It's just that… I've never stayed over at anyone's house before…"

Katsuki shrugged his shoulders. "Too bad. You're staying over at my place tonight. Deal with it." He said in a rough tone.

"But why? Why do you want to stay over with you so badly?" Auryn asked in a pleading tone; looking up at him with begging eyes.

"I just want you to, dammit! Stop bitching about it and get over it!" Katsuki snapped annoyingly at her and tightened his grip in response. "Besides, I've got something I really need to tell you when we get there."

Auryn sighed and gave up. She knew she was trapped and couldn't get away. She might as well make the most of it. The only thing she should be worried about now is what his mother was going to say when she sees her son carrying her in his arms.

"Fine. You win. But I want something in return for you kidnapping me." Auryn replied in a defeated tone; looking up at Katsuki with a serious look in her eyes.

Katsuki raised a brow at her. "What's that?" He asked in a demanding tone; giving her a rough glare.

"First off, I want YOU to put me down before we get to your house. I don't want your mother getting the wrong idea if she sees you carrying me around like a corpse." She said in a serious tone; giving him a determined look. "I don't think it'd kill me to take at least a few steps before we get to the front door."

Katsuki thought about for a minute before he nodded in compliance. "That's only fair." He said in a relenting tone. "Anything else?"

Auryn nodded in return. "Yeah, I wanna do a tarot reading on you. It's a simple game and since I'm your guest it's only good manners that we do at least ONE THING I wanna do while I'm there." She suggested in a calm tone; hoping he wouldn't freak out on her for the suggesting.

"Deal." He said in a steady tone; grinning at her with a cockiness shining in his eyes…


	5. Not Alone

Chapter Five: Not Alone

 _She was always smiling faintly,_

 _But no one saw her drowning._

 _She's slowly giving up on herself._

 _And all because she wanted to fit in._

 _She wanted to be like everyone else._

 _Even if she lost who she really was…_

 **… After Auryn and Katsuki made it back to his house,** they were greeted by his mother once again. She was surprised to see that Auryn was going to stay with them for the night, and asked her son about it, but he just blushed and yelled; saying that it was too dark for her go home on her own. His mother heard his declaration, but she saw how lonely he was when he thought about being alone, and she smiled lovingly at him.

"Well, if you're going to stay the night; then I'll go warm up dinner and set you up in the guest room." Mrs. Bakugou said in a motherly tone; walking into the kitchen and pulling dishes out of the cabinets. "And I'm NOT taking 'no' for an answer!"

Katsuki looked over at Auryn with a concerned expression in his eyes. "How are you feeling?" He asked in a slightly worried tone; turning around to face her.

Auryn smiled faintly at the male in front of her. "Don't worry about me, Katsuki. I'll be fine after a while. I promise." She whispered in a kind tone; moving past him and walking over towards the table.

Katsuki watched as Auryn was about to pull out the seat, and quickly darted after her; pulling the chair out for her and waiting until she sat down to push her up to the table. He quickly took the seat next to her, and moved the chair closer to her. She couldn't help but to smile at him and turned back to the woman who brought their food over to them.

"So, how was training?" Mrs. Bakugou asked in a motherly tone; giving Auryn a kind smile. "Did you think you made any progress? You didn't let her overdo it, did you, son?"

Auryn blushed and looked over at Katsuki. "Well, I think I might've overdone it just a bit… but I know deep down inside that it will pay off in the long run!" She said in a happy tone; smiling sweetly at the woman in front of her. "I know that if I work a little bit harder every day; then I'll be able to join the rest of my classmates in the upcoming Sports Festival! And I will shine just as brightly as Katsuki and the whole school will know what I can do!"

Mrs. Bakugou smiled excitedly at the girl and turned her attention over towards Katsuki. "I can see why you like this one so much, son! She's a lil' spitfire, isn't she?" She asked in a teasing tone; her smile growing even bigger when she saw how they both blushed brighter and brighter.

The older woman quickly stood up from the table before Katsuki could yell at her. "I'll just leave you two alone and go set up the guest room now. Have fun and play nice, Katsuki!" She called over her shoulder; giving the male a teasing smirk.

Katsuki groaned and leaned back in his seat. "Now I remember why I never invite people over anymore…" He mumbled to himself as he placed his arm over his eyes. "Damn, she can be such a pain in my ass sometimes."

Auryn giggled over at the explosive teen next to her. "You're lucky you have a mother that loves you enough to tease you, Katsuki. There are a lot of people in the world that aren't as lucky." She said in a reasoning tone; taking a bite of her food. "And who cooks such good food as she does! My compliments to your mom!"

Katsuki sat up straight and looked over at Auryn with a curious expression. "You actually LIKE spicy foods?!" He asked in a curious tone; blinking in surprise. "Are you for real?!"

Auryn nodded and took another bite. "My all-time favorite is spicy tuna sushi! My aunt makes the best spicy tuna sushi that's simply to die for! I'm the only one who can actually eat it without taking a drink of water! But I think my aunt might have some competition here…" She explained in a cheerful tone; giving him a happy smile; eating more of her food.

Katsuki looked down at his own plate and let Auryn's words sink in before he smiled to himself and started eating his own dinner.

Even though he was glad to have Auryn with him, he still couldn't get the girl's words out of him mind. What did she mean when she said that there were a lot of people who didn't have mothers who teased their sons like his mother did to him? And why did she have such a sad smile on her face? Didn't she have a mother? She always mentioned having a guardian. Did her mother die in the same kind of freak accident? Or did something happen to her altogether? And where was her father? Did she have any siblings?

He found himself lost in thought when he realized that she never mentioned anything about herself other than whenever he asked her. But he never really asked too many details. He'd have to remedy that after they ate their dinner.

He was startled out of his thoughts when he felt a slight pain in his arm, and looked down to see that Auryn had pinched him. "Hey! What was that for?!" He demanded with a low growl in his throat; rubbing the spot on his arm where she had just pinched him.

"You were spaced out over there. Are you okay? Are you tired or something?" She asked in a curious tone; tilting her head to the side.

Katsuki shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I'm not tired or anything. I was just thinking." He replied in an unsure tone; shrugging his shoulders and going back to his meal.

Auryn watched him for a few seconds before something flashed past her eyes. "You're lying, Katsuki." She accused in a serious tone. "You're thinking pretty hard about something…"

Katsuki turned his head to look over at her for a moment. "I was just thinking about something you said just now." He replied in an unsure tone; finishing off his plate and picking up her plate.

"Really now? Care to specify on the matter?" Auryn challenged in a playful tone; watching him take the dishes over towards the kitchen sink and rinsing them off before he put them into the dishwasher.

Katsuki shrugged his shoulders as he loaded the dishwashing liquid into the dishwasher. "It's not important. Don't worry about it." He answered in a lazy tone; keeping his back to her. 'How can I ask her about something so personal? She'd probably wouldn't want to talk about it like she did when we were at the train station that one time. And the last thing I wanna do is piss her off. She'd probably cover it up or be real vague about it like she did when she fell and hit her head.'

"You're doing it again…" Auryn said in a warning tone; narrowing her eyes as she leaned into the table. "I'll make you a deal: if you let me do a reading on you, I'll let you ask me any questions you want to know and I'll answer them truthfully and to the best of my knowledge. Do we have an accord?" She challenged in a defeated tone; resting her hands on the table in front of her.

Katsuki shut the dishwasher and turned to her with a curious look on his face. "Alright. You got me interested. But I get to ask you one question before we start. Think of it as a sign of good faith." He informed her in a serious tone; walking over towards the table.

Auryn nodded in return. "Okay. Fire away." She replied in an easy tone.

"Okay. Here's my question: What did you mean when you said there are a lot of people in world that didn't have mothers or some shit like that?" He asked in a serious tone; looking straight in her eyes. "Was that based off of experience? Or was it facts you heard about or something?"

Auryn scuffed and clicked her tongue. "Technically, that was 3 questions. But since I promised I'd answer and here it is: It's a little bit of both – it's based off my own experience AND facts I've heard about from people I've met over the years." She answered in a saddened tone; looking down at herself.

"Don't you have parents?" He asked in a curious tone. "I mean, I remember hearing you mention something about a legal guardian or some shit like that. But you've never once said anything about your family. Well, unless you count the time we were at the train station or that one time where you fell and hit your head at school."

Auryn raised a brow at Katsuki. "I thought I was only going to answer ONE question here." She replied with a closed eye at him.

Katsuki shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? You've got my attention." He said as he held his hands up in surrender.

Auryn smirked at him. "Careful now, Katsuki, curiosity killed the cat, you know?" She retorted in a teasing tone. "A deal is a deal, remember?"

Katsuki blushed for the umpteenth time that day. "Fine! But don't forget: I get to ask to you anything I want to know!" He declared in a final tone; moving over towards her and easing her chair away from the table. "And YOU have to tell me the truth and NOT give me those vague answers!"

He helped her out of the chair and picked up her bag. He guided her up the stairs and into the guest room once they cleared the stairs. He opened the door and let Auryn walk in first. She walked over towards the center of the room, and looked around while he sat her bag down on the bed.

The room was done in Western style scenery. It had a bed that had been positioned up against the wall in front of the window. The spread was a blue/gray color and had a lighter shade pattern sown into it with a large body pillow over the top. The nightstand was black painted wood with a lamp sitting on top. The curtains on the window was the same shade as the bedding. There was a circular rug with multicolored circles within circles on it. The wardrobe was the exact same black painted wood like the nightstand on it.

"Okay. So, how do we do this thing?" Katsuki asked in a steady tone; turning to watch her move over towards the bed. "Are we gonna sit on the bed or on the floor? It's up to you."

Auryn sat on the bed, and scooted to sit behind the pillow. "We can do it on the bed… as wrong as that just sounded. You sit at the foot of the bed – just don't sit too far away and don't sit too close. I'll need some space to sit the cards in between us." She said as she pointed over towards the spot on the bed. "Will you please hand me my bag? I'll need my cards to get started."

Katsuki handed her the bag, and Auryn opened the bag: reaching inside and pulling out a silky scarf that was wrapped around something. He watched her uncover the scarf from the object to reveal a deck of over-sized cards.

"Now, before we start, there are a few things I need to go over with you so you don't freak out." She said in a weary tone. "There are two cards in this deck that most people are afraid of: "The Devil" card and "The Death" card. These cards are in all tarot decks, but they all basically mean the same thing – "The Devil" means anger, violence, temptation, fear and self-doubt. "The Death" means you either feel like you've failed someone important to you or someone important failed you. Nowhere do they say that you're evil or you're going to die like everyone thinks, okay? So, don't flip out on me if either card pops up in your spread." She said in a reassuring tone; handing the cards over to him.

Katsuki took the cards in his hands. On the back of the cards were a pair of mermaids in a circle with a wolf head in the middle of the circle. The cards were the same shade of blue as the bed spread below them and the mermaids had fair skin, black hair, and koi fish tails. The wolf in the center was white in color with solid blue eyes.

He looked up at Auryn with a curious look on his face. "What am I supposed to do with these?" He asked in a curious tone.

Auryn gave Katsuki a devious smirk. "This is where you have to do exactly what I say or else it won't work." She said as she lifted a finger to her lips. "First off, just shuffle the cards for as long as you want and however you see fit, okay?"

Katsuki nodded and began shuffling the cards in his hands. "Seems easy enough." He said as he began throwing the cards from one hand and into the other.

He did that three times and formed the bridge before he repeated the process a few more times. Once he was done; he tried to hand them back to Auryn, but she leaned away from him and shook her head.

"I can't touch them right now. You're putting your own energy into them. If I touch them now, it will be broken and you'll have to do it all over again." She replied as she held her hands up in surrender.

She then looked over at him with a curious expression. "Are you finished shuffling them?" She asked. She saw him nod at her. "Alright, now, I want you to cut the deck in half. It doesn't have to be perfect – just cut them in half and put the bottom-half on top of the deck."

He followed her instructions and cut the deck in half. He placed the bottom-half of the cards on the top, and looked back up at her. "Now what?"

Auryn leaned forward with a bright smile. "Now here's where it gets tricky." She said in a witty tone. "I need you pick out any six cards from the deck. It can be the first six on the top, the last six card on the bottom, two from the top, two from the middle, and two from the bottom. It doesn't matter. As long as you pick out six cards. And YOU MUST NOT LOOK AT THE FACES otherwise, the ritual will be broken and you'll have to repeat the entire process all over again."

Katsuki nodded once again and began picking out the cards from the desk. He had to admit that he never really did anything like this before, and he was starting to get a little nervous. He was a little worried about what cards he will draw. Even after Auryn explained what "The Death" and "The Devil" cards meant, he was still a bit fearful of the cards.

He finished picking out his cards and held them separate from the rest of the cards and looked over at the girl sitting in front of him with a curious look on his face.

Auryn smiled and pointed to the deck in his hand. "Did you pick out your cards? Then place them off to the side and hand me the ones you picked out." She said as she held out her hand to him.

She took the cards from him and arranged them in two rows of three in front of them. "The cards will appear either reversed or upright. The way you can tell if they're reversed is when they appear right side-up to you. Now," She explained in a logical tone; pointing to the card on the bottom left corner, "this card represents who you are right now. Depending on the card, it could show your personality or your attitude."

She then flipped it over to reveal to _**"The Fool"**_ in a reversed position. Katsuki gasped and tensed up. She narrowed her eyes at him in a warning, and turned her eyes back to the card for a moment.

"' _ **The Fool'**_ doesn't mean that you're a fool so settle your fucking ass down." She said in a firm tone. "It simply means that you're very independent on your own views on things and pretty much march to the beat of your own drum regardless of what others try to say. It also means that you see things that others can't see. ALSO, you won't let anyone change your mind once you've decided on something."

"Like what?" He asked in a curious tone; trying his best to keep his anger in check when she started explaining what the card meant.

"Remember when you carried me all the way back here after practice? And I wanted you to put me down?" Auryn asked in a curious tone; seeing him nod in agreement. "It's like that except without the curse words. Now, the next card will tell us what affects you."

She then turned her attention back to the cards in front of her, and flipped the card above The Fool over to reveal a pair of men that were stabbing a white unicorn. The description on the card read, " _ **Five of Rods**_ ". It was also reversed.

"This card represents what affects you. And right now, you live for a challenge. You like to push yourself beyond your limits to see how far you can go and you're not afraid to die for what you believe in. The reversed position says that you won't settle for anything less than your best and you push others to be their very best – even if you don't realize it right away." Auryn explained in a logical tone; closing her eyes as she thought about what the card said.

"Hit the nail on the head with that one…" Katsuki mumbled under his breath. "So, what's the next card mean?"

Auryn opened her eyes and looked over at Katsuki with a hollow expression in her eyes. "The next card will represent what you value." She said as she reached out and flipped the card over to show a few people lying on the ground and few other people jumping out of a building. The card was labeled _**"The Tower"**_. Katsuki got a bad feeling from that card, but he kept it to himself as he looked over at Auryn.

"' _ **The Tower'**_ means that you are very hard on yourself when you think you've failed at something. You've built up your walls and most people tend to give up trying to get through to you even though deep down inside, you know they only want to help you succeed at whatever you do. However, you fail to realize that keeping people away, you're only hurting yourself and if you don't change your outlook on others; then you'll most likely end up alone when you need someone to stand with you. And trust me, that day can and WILL come." Auryn said in a slightly sad tone; looking down at the cards in front of her.

Katsuki saw the sad look on Auryn's face, and knew that she was telling the truth. He never imagined that it would hurt that badly though. He was now starting to understand why people have always said, "The truth hurts".

Auryn shook her head and looked up at Katsuki with a slight smile. "But don't worry, Katsuki! Even if the whole world turns its back on you, I promise that I'll always be there for you!" She said in a cheerful tone; her sweet smile covering up her sadness and worry.

She then turned her attention back to the cards and pointed to the one still face down on the top of the right column. "Now, THIS card will represent what's bothering you." She said as she flipped up the card.

The face of the card was a picture of a man hanging upside down with a rope tied around his ankles. He had an empty look on his face and his hands were behind his back; submitting to some kind of punishment that was waiting to be delivered to him by whatever force was to give it to him.

"' _ **The Hanged Man'**_ means that you pretend to enjoy being alone, but deep down inside, you absolutely HATE it. It bothers you when you see everyone around happy and hanging around their friends and you feel like you're not included. You also have a hard time letting people know that you need someone to talk to or just simply wanted them around you." She said in the same sad tone; closing her eyes at the boy in front of her. "You want so badly to have friends like everyone else, but you have a hard time expressing yourself to others and probably think that they'll just tease you or reject you. And we both know that you hate failure. Don't bother lying – you'll just prove me right."

Katsuki huffed and folded his arms over his chest. "Fine! Whatever! Just get on the last two cards already!" He demanded as he unfolded his hands and grabbed his ankles to keep his balance, as he tilted his upper torso forward.

Auryn yelped and figured she might have struck a nerve or something. She flipped the card below it to reveal a reaper on the face of the card. It had its trademark scythe in one hand and its other hand was stretched out towards an infant unicorn. Katsuki didn't have read the label to know it was _**"The Death"**_ card. Even though Auryn explained what the card meant before they even started, but it was still a bit intimidating to see it show up in his spread on his first try.

"In this position," Auryn started off slowly, " _ **'The Death'**_ card means that you will come to a point somewhere in your life where you will feel like you will disappoint someone important to you. Now, the card doesn't say who it will be or when it will happen, but it WILL happen at some point in your life. And you WILL have to deal with it, get over it, and learn from it."

She then reached down and flipped the last card over to reveal a very strong-looking man riding bare back on an adult unicorn with a spear in his hand. The man looked very confident and ready for battle. The label on the bottom of the card read, _**"The Strength"**_. Auryn looked up at the male youth in front with a brave smile on her face; her duel-colored eyes shining brightly with an arrogance that made Katsuki's heart flutter.

"' _ **The Strength'**_ card means that even though you'll make mistakes and have to go through some hard times in your life, you'll be right where you want to be and you'll be stronger than you are now and you will reach your dreams and be very happy with how your life will turn out in the end! People will look up at you and say, "I didn't give up because of you!"!" Auryn said in a happy tone; giving Katsuki a happy smile.

Katsuki blushed and looked down at the cards in wonder. 'She got all six of the cards right! How in the seven Hells did she do it?! Was this her quirk? To see the future or something?' He thought to himself as he stared at the cards between them.

"So, how did I do? I bet I got every single one of them wrong, didn't I?" Auryn asked in a modest tone; bowing her head in shame.

Katsuki shook his head rapidly. "No! You got them all right! The fuck did you do that?! How could you know so much about me when no one else does?! Not even my own MOTHER knows half that shit and you just told me every secret in what? Half an hour?" He cried out in disbelief; leaning over the cards to look at her expectantly.

Auryn leaned away from Katsuki with a shaky smile. "I didn't know anything like that, Katsuki, I swear on my life! YOU were the one that drew the cards! YOU put your energy into the cards! All I did was tell YOU what to do, and what each card meant!" She protested in a defensive tone; shaking her head at him. "That was all YOU."

Katsuki sighed and sat back normally on the bed. "Well, you've got a lot of real talent there, Auryn. You made a believer outta me." He said in a defeated tone; rubbing the back of his neck.

Auryn smiled and began picking up the cards. "Alright, Katsuki, a deal's a deal. You can ask all the questions you want now." She said as she began to wrap the scarf back around the cards.

Katsuki shifted to closer to Auryn. "Okay, cool. For my first question: Back in the kitchen earlier, when you said that I should be lucky about having a mother… and you answered that you spoke from both experience and what you heard. What did you mean by the experience part? What I'm trying to ask is what exactly happened to your parents?"

Auryn sighed and looked down at the cards in her hands. "My father is never around… I've never met him before a day in my life. I mean, sure I have pictures of him and heard stories about him, but I never really knew him like most kids our age." She replied in a sad tone; not looking up at him.

"Is he dead or something?" Katsuki asked; not really knowing how to ask without sounding like a jerk.

Auryn shook her head. "No, he's very much alive. But he doesn't really know about me." She answered. "His memories got erased because my existence was too unbearable for him. At least that's what I've been told when I was younger."

"WHAT HOW CAN SOMEONE FORGET ABOUT THEIR OWN CHILD?! YOU'RE NOT MAKING ANY SENSE!" Katsuki yelled in outrage.

Auryn tensed up and looked out the window. "Did you know… that children born in the Honda Family are born three months prematurely? So, can you imagine what it must have been like for a pair first-time parents with twins? The mother had been carrying those babies inside of her all that time and six months later, she gave birth to her first and only children? I can't imagine how scared she must've been for them… And come to find out that child had broken the family tradition by inheriting her father's quirks… and that was truly terrifying for all of us." Auryn said in a depressed tone; not taking her eyes off the world outside the window.

She then looked back at Katsuki with a faint smile. "Children in my family inherit the quirks from their parents of their respected gender – like a girl is supposed to inherit her mother's quirks and the boy was supposed to inherit his father's quirks. There has never been a single child in the Honda Family to inherit their quirks from the opposite gender before. Not even when the first Honda was established over a thousand years…" She said with a longing tone.

"What did your mom do to you when she found out that you got your ol' man's quirks?" Katsuki asked; already guessing her answer.

"When she found out that I inherited dad's quirks, she rejected me with her entire body. She wouldn't bathe me, she wouldn't even FEED me… the only thing she ever gave me were the scars on my body…" She replied in a hollow tone; pulling her arm warmers off and exposed the scars that littered the flesh underneath.

There were several scars running up and down her arms that looked like someone had used her as their own personal ashtray. They were all different shapes and sizes, but they all looked like burns that never fully healed – and they looked like every single one of them hurt. She flipped her arms over to show multiply horizontal lines running up and down her lower arms.

Auryn then pulled the collar of her shirt away from her neck to show Katsuki an ugly scar that covered the juncture of her neck and shoulder. That scar looked like it had been from some kind of whip. Katsuki couldn't decide which ones looked like they hurt the most: the ones on her arms or the one on her shoulder.

"Why would she do something like that?" He asked in a shaky tone; not being able to take his eyes off the scars.

"I'm still trying to figure that one out. Do me a favor and let me know if you figure it out before I get the chance, okay?" Auryn asked in a slightly joking tone; trying her best to lighten the mood. "ANYWAY, my relatives all say that if my dad hadn't come home from work one night – when I got the scar on my shoulder, then I probably wouldn't be alive right now… And it hurt him so much that he did the only thing he could think of to give me a fighting chance to live – he signed over all parental rights to his sister… I've been living at the main house in Kyoto until I started attending U.A. …"

"What exactly ARE your quirks? I mean, I've never seen you use them since you came here." Katsuki asked in a confused tone; tilting his head to the side.

Auryn pulled a necklace she had out from under her shirt, and held it up for Katsuki to see. "One of my quirks is dowsing – I can find anybody or anything as long as I have a crystal and a map – it's more of a MIND QUIRK, but that's just ONE of my quirks…" She explained in a half-hearted tone; cracking a broken smile at the boy in front of her. "Another quirk I have is the ability to "recharge" anyone at will or I can simply take their energy away. It's not very useful, but it's MY quirk and I'm pretty good at it, too. I also have a quirk that I think you might find interesting, too."

"And that would be?" Katsuki questioned with a raised brow.

Auryn reached into her backpack and pulled out a simple deck of playing cards. She pulled a single card from the deck and held it in her hand. The card then started to glow an angry red color, and she threw it at Katsuki's chest; causing it to explode on impact.

"HEY! WHAT THE FUCK, AURYN?!" Katsuki yelled in shock; falling backwards in surprise.

He then looked down at his shirt and noticed a small scorch mark and a few ashes from the remains of the cards.

"So, you've got an explosion quirk like mine, huh? Well, you didn't have to try and blow me up." He mumbled as he sat upright in his seat.

Auryn shook her head in response. "MY quirk isn't exactly like yours, Katsuki," she clarified in a scolding tone; wagging her finger at him, "I'm not entirely sure what you'd classify it as, but I can tap into the potential kinetic energy from any object I touch and overload it to make it explode. But I refuse to use my quirks like either one of my parents. My quirks are my own and I swore to myself that I wouldn't use them the way my mother did to me."

Katsuki took several deep breaths to try and keep his temper under control. "Now it all makes sense. The flinches, the shy, timid personality, the modesty, the scars… now I see why you never wanted to talk about your family. And I can't say that I blame you either." He said through gritted teeth. "It almost makes me wonder if you really DID get into a car accident at all if what you said was true."

Auryn winced and looked away from Katsuki. "You're right, Katsuki… that was a lie I tell people so I wouldn't go into foster care. And I'm kinda glad that I DID lie to you given your wild temper… You'd probably try and hunt her down and try to kill her for all the rotten things she's done." She said in a logical tone; nodding her head firmly.

"Damn straight I would! No parent has the right to lay a hand on their child like that! No matter what they've done or how bad they are!" He shouted angrily.

Auryn shook her head at him. "Yes, but growing up as a Honda outcast, I've learned the sad truth that violence begins violence... And if I were to go after my mother and get revenge – then I'd be no better than she is… And that's exactly why I won't do it OR let you do it, either! My entire family expects me to take revenge, but you know something? I'm going to show them how wrong they are about me! I won't go down that path! I don't want to live that life and I don't want you to, either! Promise me you won't do it, Katsuki! It would break my heart if you did!"

Katsuki looked over at Auryn, and immediately felt his heart break when he saw her crying. He sighed and pulled her into his lap. "Don't worry, Auryn…" He mumbled in her hair; rubbing her back and rocking her back and forth. "I promise I won't do anything to them."

Auryn took a deep breath and let out a shaky sigh. She then wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his neck. "Thank you, Katsuki."

They sat there for who knows how long, before Auryn pulled away and gave Katsuki a brave smile. "Thank you for listening to me, Katsuki… I feel so much better now."

Katsuki sighed and pulled away from her. He looked over at the clock on the wall and noticed that it was well past midnight. He groaned and dropped his head on her shoulder.

"It's getting pretty late. I'll let you go to sleep." He said in a disappointed tone; pulling away from the girl.

Auryn smiled weakly at the boy and shook her head. "I'm really not all that tired, Katsuki. You can go on to bed if you want, but I'm going to stay up a little while longer if you don't mind." She responded in a gentle tone.

"How about we go downstairs to the den and watch some movies or something?" He suggested in a gentle tone; his eyes pleading to her – hoping she'd comply with his request.

Auryn looked up at Katsuki with a mischievous smile. "Depends. What kind of movies do you have?" She challenged in a playful tone. "Do you have any scary movies?"

Katsuki chuckled and got up off the bed. "Fuck yeah we do! This isn't some kid's playhouse!" He said with a wicked smile; giving Auryn an arrogant smile.

Katsuki offered Auryn a hand off the bed, and was pleased when she took it. He pulled her off the bed with little effort, but when because she was so light, he pulled too hard, and she fell right into his chest. Now, being a hero in-training, he instinctively wrapped his strong arms around her body.

He couldn't explain how great it felt when he was holding her. True, he held her in his lap, and he loved every bit of it. However, he felt her tense up and hurriedly set her upright and let her go.

"Sorry, Auryn," he said in an embarrassed tone; rubbing the back of his head, "I guess I forgot how much of a light-weight you were." He teased her with a playful gleam in his eye.

Auryn puffed out her cheeks. "I may be a light-weight, but I can still give you a run for your money!" She challenged in a cocky tone; pushing him away slightly with a grin. "Before I got hurt, I was the best shadow boxer by the age of ten! They didn't call me, "Auryn of the Faint Smiles" for nothing, you know!"

"Are there any videos of you fighting on the web? We can watch 'em before we start the movies." He suggested in an excited tone.

"And have you learning all my moves before the Sports Festival so you can beat me?" Auryn replied in a scolding tone; waving her finger at him. "I don't think so…"

Katsuki huffed and looked away from her for a second. "I won't do that to you." He responded in a rough tone; looking back at her with a serious expression on his face.

Auryn thought about it for a moment. "Alright then. We'll watch a few videos then watch the movies!" She said with a cheerful smile on her face.

Katsuki chuckled and walked over towards the door. "This is gonna be sweet!" He countered in an arrogant tone; looking at her over his shoulder with a smirk. "I can't wait to see if you're really as good as you say you are!"

Something flashed past Auryn's eyes. "Okay, tough-guy," she said in a readied tone; following him down the hall, "tone it down. I'm sure your mom is probably sleeping by now."

Katsuki laughed hotly at the girl as they walked into the living room. He gestured her to follow him over towards the family computer while he pulled out a chair.

"Alright, Auryn," he said in a steady tone; setting up the internet search site, "let's see these videos you keep talking about."

Auryn shrugged her shoulders and cracked her knuckles all at once. She then typed up something in the search engine, and a lot of links appeared in a few seconds. She scrolled the pages down until she found the website she was looking for. She opened the link and searched for her name. When she finally found her name, she opened the link and clicked on the first video.

The video was labeled, "Auryn Honda - UFC 2010". Auryn pulled it up and stretched the video to fit the full screen. The video was of Auryn when she was much younger and was faced off against another child that was twice her size. The younger version of Auryn was showing off her skills before the match. The fight soon broke out and Katsuki watched in amazement at how it was going.

Auryn was quick – VERY quick, and mimicked her opponent's every move and threw in a few moves of her own. She blocked her opponent's attacks and easily wore them out. She had speed and stamina – he'll give her that much. And when he saw her deliver the final blow that ended the match by two uppercuts to the other fighter's jaw and her opponent went down, he had to admit that he was proud to know that there was someone else on his level.

The video ended and Auryn clicked on another one. This one was labeled, "Auryn Honda – UFC Regional Championships 2011" And like before, a younger Auryn was matched up against another girl that was twice her size, but this video was different. Auryn had her own fighting style this time, and she kicked a lot more than she did in the previous video. Her opponent was an out-boxer like he was. Her opponent was a great deal stronger than the younger version of Auryn but Auryn was still quick on her feet. Her opponent got a lucky shot in and landed a harsh blow to her head; sending her flying up towards the other end of the ring. He thought the match was over, but he was surprised when he saw Auryn stagger to her feet and jumped high into the air; landing on her opponent's shoulders and punching her repeatedly in the face before thrusting herself backwards; sending both of them to the ground. Auryn flipped back up to her feet, but her opponent stayed down. Both of the fighters were covered in blood in that video. The referee jumped over towards Auryn and held her hand high into the air.

Katsuki noticed that in both the videos that Auryn has shown him so far, she always had a faint smile on her face. It never left her face when she either attacked or defended – it never changed – even when the referee declared her the winner OR when she received her award. It was like a painted smile. He had to admit to himself that he liked that smile on her face. But he also had to admit that he was curious to see how much she had become or if she could still fight. Maybe they could train together for the Sports Festival one day…

"I'm sure I'm more than a little rusty since it's been a while since I last trained," she said softly; smiling faintly at the video, "but I'm pretty sure I still have what it takes."

"Hey, we could always train for the Sports Festival when you get better!" Katsuki said excitedly; getting pumped up with the thought of spending time with her. "It'd be nice to actually have a decent sparring partner for a change."

Auryn looked back at Katsuki with a skeptical look on her face. "Yeah, but then that will mean that I'll have to come up with a whole new strategy if I ever get put against you!" She protested with a slight pout on her face.

Katsuki groaned and slapped his face. "I already told you that I wouldn't do that against you, Auryn!" He protested in a hasty tone; waving his hands in front of his face. "Besides, I wanna see how well you are against out-boxing!"

Auryn nodded and waved him off. "Fine, but I have to get better first." She said as she saved the website for him, and got out of the chair. "So, how about those movies?" She said in a sisterly tone.

 **Mrs. Bakugou walked down the hall the next morning,** and went over to the guest room where she thought Auryn would be sleeping. She found the bed to be empty and looked like it hadn't even been slept in. The girl's bag was still lying on the bed, so she knew Auryn was still at the house.

She then went over towards her son's room, and found that he wasn't in there, either. His bed looked like it hadn't been slept in either.

"That's strange. I figured they'd still be asleep at this hour." She said to herself as she moved down the stairs and into the kitchen.

She didn't find either one in there, and she moved into the living room, and gasped at what she saw.

She found Auryn lying out stretched on the main couch with Katsuki on the shorter-end of the couch. They were facing each other with their heads lying side-by-side and their hands holding the other. The older woman thought it was so cute that she hurried over to the desk, and pulled out a camera, and silently moved over towards to stand in front of the couch; snapping a picture of them.

'This would make a great story for your kids someday!' She thought happily as she reached down and pulled the blankets over them both.

She repeated the process for Katsuki and quietly left the two while she went into the kitchen and started cooking breakfast…


	6. No Way Out

Chapter Six: No Way Out

 _There are two kinds of people in this world:_

 _Those who give up…_

 _and those who keep fighting._

 _I'm somewhere in between giving up,_

 _And seeing how much more I can take…_

Another week went by for Auryn and Katsuki, and before they knew it, it was time for Auryn's evaluation. It was scheduled for a Friday after school, and as the day grew closer and closer, Auryn was feeling more and more nervous. She had kept her little event to herself, and it was starting to make Katsuki mad because he didn't know what was bothering her. Sure, he knew it was soon, but she never told him a specific date.

It was a Wednesday after school when Katsuki finally snapped and cornered Auryn in the classroom. He made sure that no one else was in the room when he confronted her. He didn't want anyone to hear or see what he was about to do. Not that he'd ever hurt Auryn on purpose, but he had a tendency of losing his temper because he knew Auryn was just as stubborn as he was and sometimes, he had to use to get her to tell him what he wanted to know.

"Alright, Auryn," he said as he blocked her exit, "what's wrong? I know something's bothering you and I want to know what your fucking problem is. Now."

Auryn backed away from Katsuki and gripped her handles tightly. "It's not important, Katsuki… I'm probably just having a girl-moment and over-thinking things like I always do." She responded in an unsure tone; waving off his concern.

"Bullshit! You've been avoiding me all week for the past week now! I know something's wrong and I won't let you leave until I find out what it is!" He roared angrily; taking one step towards her and making her look down at herself. "Is someone bothering you?"

Auryn shook her head and gave Katsuki a startled look. "No, no one's bothering me." She replied; watching his facial expressions closely.

"Is your asthma flaring up again? Are you feeling left out in school activities or something?" He pressed in an urgent tone; trapping her between him and the desk behind her.

Auryn shook her head once again. "It's not like that, Katsuki! My asthma has been under control and no, I'm not feeling left out in school activities. Just leave it alone!" She warned in an irritated tone; narrowing her eyes at the teen in front of her.

Katsuki growled low in his throat and desk started to sizzle under his hands. "I won't leave it alone when I know something isn't right with you. Now, the sooner you spit it out and tell me what I want to know, the sooner we can leave and go over to your house to study." He threatened in a rough tone; leaning closer to the girl.

"It's my own personal problem, Katsuki! I thought I told you not to meddle in things that don't concern you!" Auryn yelled; giving him a nasty glare while getting into his face.

"YOU MAKE IT MY PROBLEM WHEN YOU DON'T TELL ME IF SOMETHING'S BOTHERING YOU!" Katsuki roared in a frustrated tone; gritting his teeth in anger. "I CAN'T FUCKING STAND TO SEE YOU UPSET! HOW CAN I HELP YOU IF YOU DON'T TALK TO ME?!"

"I CAN'T TELL YOU BECAUSE I'M SCARED, OKAY?!" Auryn finally snapped; panting for breath and shocking Katsuki in the process.

Katsuki was at loss for words. In all the time he had gotten to know Auryn Honda, he had never once heard her say she was afraid of something. Sure, she admitted to having arachnophobia and hypnophobia, but she never showed it – or let it bother or slow her down. He knew she was afraid to go to sleep at night because of the abuse her mother over the years, and she told him about her fear of spiders, but she always played it off by joking about it to their classmates. He even caught a glimpse of how far her fear of spiders went whenever they'd come across one, but she never went into any real details about any of it. And the last time he checked, they never came across any spiders or she never had a problem falling asleep while she stayed the night at his house or vise-versa. So, what was she afraid of this time? And how bad could it be?

Katsuki watched as Auryn shook uncontrollably in front of him, and knew he messed up. He quickly took a few deep breaths and calmed himself down before trying to get her to talk to him again.

"What are you so afraid of?" He finally managed to ask. "I'm sorry for scaring you like this, but I really want – no… I NEED to know. I WANT to help you. You always help me feel better whenever I have a real shitty day, so why can't you let me help you? Even if it's just this once?"

Auryn bit down on her lower lip until it bled, and looked down at her legs. She bit her lip so hard, it started to bleed drops of blood down her chin.

"You'll probably just start laughing at me if I tell you anyway…" Auryn muttered in a broken tone; still shaking in front of him.

"I would never laugh at you because of your fears. We all have them…" He reasoned in a softer tone; leaning down to look over at her with a concerned expression on his face.

Auryn laughed cruelly at him. "You? Afraid? When? You're the bravest person in the whole city! I've never met anyone who was a fraction as brave as you!"

Katsuki shook his head at her. "That's not true. Remember when you lost your voice and you fell and went into an asthma attack? Or the first time you let me help you practice walking without your crutches? I had never been so scared in my whole life! I thought you were dying in this very room that day. And when you were pushing yourself so hard down by the river? I thought I was going to have to take you to the hospital and I was so scared that I'd never see you again! I never wanted to see you like that ever again!" He told her truthfully; hanging his head in shame as he tried to hide his deep red blush from her.

Auryn looked up at him in time to see him reach out and grip her chin in his hand. He used his thumb to wipe the blood away from her lip, and she sighed and leaned her head against his hand.

"My evaluation is this Friday… and I'm scared that the doctor will tell me that I will never be able to walk normally again." Auryn finally said in a broken tone; closing her eyes tightly – waiting for him to laugh or yell at her.

Katsuki blinked in surprise. "THAT'S what you've been hiding all this time? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He asked in a stunned tone.

"Because I didn't want you to hate me when I tell that I'll never be able to walk on my own. You went out of your way to help me practice and if I find out that all that work we did together was for nothing - I just don't think I can take seeing the same hatred in your eyes as when my mom used to have whenever she'd look at me…" Auryn said in a hollow tone; casting her duel-colored eyes towards the floor once again.

Katsuki let the girl's words sink in. _'She's not scared of what the doctor will say… she's scared of letting me down. And now, I've hurt her worse than her mom ever did… I've got to make this right…'_ He thought to himself as he watched her shoulders trembling.

He sighed and pulled the bony girl into his arms and rested his cheek against the top of her head. "Listen to me, Auryn," he spoke softly; stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her down, "I will never – you hear me – NEVER hate you if that ever happens. And I swear, I will NEVER hurt you no matter what you say, or do, or how mad I get. I WILL NEVER TREAT YOU LIKE THAT FUCKING BITCH OF A MOM TREATED YOU! Do you hear me?! Never! I'll die before that happens!" He declared in a firm tone; pulling away enough to look directly into her eyes.

Auryn stared at him for a moment, and on their own accord, her hands let go of her crutches, and wrapped themselves around his body. She pulled him close and buried her face in his chest.

"Thank you, Katsuki… I'm sorry I made such a big deal out of nothing – again. I promise, I'll tell you if I'm ever scared or worried and hurting next time." She whispered in a shaky tone; finally able to stop shaking.

Katsuki smirked playfully and leaned his cheek against her head. "Just let me come with you whenever you go to see the doctor and I MIGHT think about forgiving you." He said in a lightened tone; making them both laugh at their own expense.

"Deal." She said in a reasoning tone; snuggling closer to him.

Katsuki nodded and pulled away from Auryn. "Okay, let's get the fuck outta here before someone comes in and sees us like this and think I did something to you." He said in a rough tone; picking up their discarded bags and walking towards the door.

Auryn put her hands back on her handles and began walking over towards him. She smiled kindly at him, as they made their way off school grounds; both keeping quiet. After they made to the crossroads that separated, Katsuki stopped and looked over at Auryn with a serious look on his face.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Katsuki. Have a good night." Auryn said in a gentle tone; turning around to move down the street to her own house.

"Listen to me for a second, Auryn," he spoke in a serious tone; making her stop in her tracks and turn around to look at him, "I'm going with you to see the doctor this Friday, and then I'm staying at your place for the weekend. Got it?"

Auryn stared at Katsuki with a look of pure shock on her face. "My place? But why? Why would you want to come with me to the doctor? And why would you want to stay the weekend with me? My place doesn't have a guest room. You'd have to sleep on the couch." She replied in a stunned tone; tilting her head to the side.

Katsuki turned his head to the side in an attempt to hide his blush. "I want to see the look on your face when the doctor tells you that you'll get to walk without the crutches again and I just want to spend the weekend with you because you're my… friend. You're the only fucking person in the whole damned school that understands me and doesn't get on my last nerve!"

Auryn blushed at his outburst, but quickly covered it up with a short laugh. "Okay, Katsuki. You win." She said in a defeated tone; giving him a happy smile.

… **Time Skip…**

 **Auryn and Katsuki sat in the waiting room of the family doctor's office;** waiting for the doctor to call for her to come in.

Auryn was still nervous about what the doctor will say, but Katsuki kept telling her to calm down and that she will be alright. Auryn smiled gratefully at him, and rested her hand on top of his. He hid the faint grin on his face.

Once the nurse opened the door and called Auryn's name; making her jump in her seat. Auryn looked over at Katsuki with a pleading expression, and he sighed and got up from his own seat; joining her at the door.

The nurse guided Auryn down the hall and into a room where she told Auryn to sit on the bed, and pushed Katsuki away so Auryn could change into the hospital clothes that were lying out for her. The nurse helped Auryn change and told her that the doctor will be there shortly.

Auryn shifted over towards the bed, and watched as the nurse pulled the curtain back so Katsuki could be near her while they waited.

It didn't take the doctor very long to walk into the room with a clipboard in her hands. "Alright, Auryn, how are you doing?" She asked in an automatic tone; putting the clipboard on the table near the bed, and pulled a chair up in front of Auryn.

"I'd be better once I get these damned bracers off my legs, Hitori…" She said in an irritated tone; glaring down at the metal confinements on her legs.

The doctor – or Hitori nodded with a slight chuckle. "Well, let's see how you're doing and we'll take it from there, okay, Auryn?" She replied in a motherly tone.

Katsuki looked between the two in confusion. "Wait, you two are first name basis?" He asked in a curious tone. "Do you come here that often?"

The doctor nodded in return. "Of course, young man, Auryn is my niece." She responded in a polite tone. "I took her case the moment she was admitted to the hospital." She explained in a logical tone; turning back to Auryn's legs with a serious look.

Auryn looked over at Katsuki with a bright smile. "There's a reason why I always referred to Hitori as "The Family Doctor". She takes patients exclusively from the Honda Family." She said in a reasoning tone. "She knows more about the family's individual physiology than any doctor in the country."

Katsuki scratched the back of his head. "I guess that would make sense…" He said in an unsure tone as he watched the older male poke and prod at Auryn's legs.

"Alright, Auryn," Hitori said in a gentle tone, "I want you to lift your leg - one at a time – as high as you can so I can see the how the bones are fusing with the steel mesh I put in them."

Auryn nodded and lifted her left leg like she was told. The doctor one of her hands held her hand under her leg and the other covered her knee to feel the bones under her skin. She hummed when she felt the bones shift and slide back into place with each movement. She repeated the process with her other leg and he watched and prodded her skin as he did before.

The older woman looked up at Auryn with a proud smile. "Well, so far, it looks like everything is healing just fine." She said in a kind tone; getting up from her chair and pulling it away from the bed. "Now, I want to see how you're doing with walking without your crutches."

Auryn smirked and got up off the bed. She stood up without any problems. She glanced over at Katsuki for a moment and looked over to the doctor.

"I want you to walk to the door and to the window. Do you think you can do it?" Hitori asked in a worried tone; watching Auryn's smirk grow even wider.

"She had better be able to walk that distance…" Katsuki mumbled under his breath with his arms folded over his chest.

The doctor ignored Katsuki's comment and looked back at Auryn, and watched as she effortlessly made her walk over towards the door, and turned around to walk to the wall at the other side of the room. The older woman had to admit that she impressed by how well she could manage on her own.

"And how does that feel?" She asked in a concerned tone; watching her touch the wall.

Auryn turned around and smiled bravely at the doctor. "It doesn't hurt at all, Hitori." She told her in a careful tone; moving over towards the bed to sit back down when the doctor motioned for her to sit back down on the bed.

"That's a good sign that you're healing just fine." She said in a motherly tone; nodding in approval when she pulled the chair back up and gripping one leg to feel the muscle and bones underneath. "Have you been doing any rehabilitation since the last time you tried walking a few weeks ago?"

Auryn nodded and smiled brightly. "Yeah, I've been practicing walking without the crutches for a while now. I'd like to think that I haven't been overdoing it and staying within my limits and pushing myself a little each time I try to walk on my own!" She replied in a happy tone; smiling proudly at herself.

"That's good to hear. I hope someone was there to help you in case something went wrong." She suggested in a firm tone; narrowing her eyes at the two teens in front of him.

Auryn nodded once again. "Katsuki here helped me walk made sure I didn't get hurt!" She told him; giving Katsuki a bright smile and making the younger male blush bright red.

Hitori chuckled and shook her head. "Well, since it seems you're doing better than the last time I checked on you, I think you're finally ready to start walking without the crutches." She said in a proud tone; pushing her chair away from the girl and moving over towards the sink on the other side of the room and pulling out some tools. "Now, let's see how those lungs of yours are doing…"

She turned around and walked over to stand beside her. She moved the bottom of her shirt up and pressed a device over against the back. "Now, take a deep breath for me and exhale." She said as she waited until Auryn did as she was told and listened to Auryn's breathing.

"Has the medicine I prescribed you been helping? How is the breathing treatment doing for you?" She asked as she listened to her breathing.

"I've been having fewer attacks since I've been on that stuff if that's what you mean." Auryn replied in an honest tone. "I can breathe a lot better since I got on it."

Hitori nodded in satisfactory. "That's good. Well, I think we'll keep you on it until you build immunity against it. Then we'll take it from there." Hitori said in a pleased tone, pulling away from her. "Now, everything checks out and you are officially free of your crutches. However, that doesn't mean you're completely off the hook, young lady. I want you to take easy until the next evaluation. I want to see how your legs do against the stress you put on them without the crutches. I'd hate to have to do another surgery because you didn't listen to me." She told her in a light scolding tone; smiling teasingly at her.

"Don't worry, doc! I'll keep an extra eye on her for you!" Katsuki declared in a cocky tone; throwing his arm around Auryn's shoulder.

Hitori nodded in authorization. "Okay. I guess we're done here. I'll set you up for your next evaluation and let Kimiko know later." She told her as she walked over towards the sink and putting her tools away. "Remember what I told you about taking it easy, and have a good day, you two. I'll see you later, Auryn. Make sure you two are careful on your way home."

Auryn smiled brightly at the older woman and nodded vigorously at her. "Be careful, don't overdo it. Got it!" She said with a mock salute as she pulled herself off the bed, and pulled the curtain around the bed to change out of the hospital clothes

 **And so,** the two left the room and Auryn got her next evaluation scheduled right before the Sports Festival. The pair then left the building, and made their way into the town. They had decided to go grab something to eat before they made their way back to the main city.

They ended up settling for a small restaurant next to the train station. Katsuki had ordered a bowl of spicy ramen and Auryn settled for the spicy tuna sushi and a side of wasabi sauce. Auryn watched as the waiter cooked their prepared the food and looked over to see a smug look on the male youth's face. She didn't have time to think to ask him about anything because he turned to her with an all-knowing grin.

"See? I told ya you were going to be fine in time for the Sports Festival." He told her in an arrogant tone; giving Auryn a devious smirk.

Auryn looked up in time to see the waiter give them their food, and thanked him with a tip of her head. "Yes, I know," she said in a modest tone; picking up her chopsticks, "I was so used to Hitori telling me that I wasn't ready to stop using the crutches. It just – took me by surprise…"

Katsuki took a bite of his noodles, and nodded at her. "So, that Hitori-chick, she was the one your ol' man gave you away to, right?" He questioned in a curious tone; eating his noodles without taking his eyes off of Auryn's face.

Auryn nodded and ate another piece of her meal. "Yeah, Hitori took me in at my father's request…" She explained in lazy tone; shrugging her shoulders. "I was too young to remember any of it, but Hitori explained the whole thing once I got older."

Katsuki nodded at the girl. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore because Hitori will keep you safe from the wicked bitch monster of death. And whenever Hitori's not around, I'LL protect you." He announced in a stubborn tone; going back to his food.

Auryn gasped and turned sideways in her seat. "Really, Katsuki? You mean it?" She asked in a hopeful tone; leaning closer towards him. "You'd do that for me?"

Katsuki stopped eating long enough to give her a serious look. "Well, I AM a hero in-training, right? And more importantly… I'm YOUR hero. That's what you said back in the old hag's office the day you got hurt in the classroom." He said in a logical tone; not taking his eyes off her. _'I'd give my own life to keep you safe from a monster like your bitch of a mom… I won't let her touch you or hurt you again… Not while there's still life in me.'_

Auryn couldn't contain her joy, and threw her arms around Katsuki's neck. "Oh, thank you, Katsuki! You're the best!" She said in a cheerful tone; giving him a tight hug.

Katsuki blushed madly, but ended up returning her embrace shortly after recovering from his shock. He wouldn't deny that he enjoyed being hugged by Auryn. He wished he could always hug her forever or at least whenever he wanted.

Auryn let go of the boy go and the two quickly finished their meals. Auryn paid the waiter and left them a tip. Then Katsuki followed Auryn out the door and the two walked out into the streets.

They passed by several shops while they were on their way to the train station. Katsuki passed by one particular store caught his eye. It was a store that had several different types of necklaces and other items for sale. One particular necklace caught his eye, and he quickly turned to Auryn with a hurried expression on his face.

"I'm going to use the restroom. I'll be right back." He said as he turned to walk into the store. "Stay here and wait for me."

Auryn stood outside and waited for the boy to return, and looked down at herself and thought about Katsuki and what he actually meant to her.

 _'I really like Katsuki. I couldn't imagine my life without him in it. Heck, if it weren't for him pushing me as much as he did, I would probably still be in crutches… I should do something for him to show him how grateful I am for all he's done for me. But what should I do? Hmmm… I wonder…'_

Auryn was pulled out of her thoughts when Katsuki came out of the store with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He looked up at her with a slight grin on his as if he knew something that she didn't. It made her wonder what he was thinking.

Just before he was about to say something to her, a woman that looked like an older version of Auryn walked up to the two. The woman had the same hair as Auryn's, but was cut much shorter than hers and both of her eyes were just the same shade of purple as Auryn's. Her skin was a lot healthier-looking than Auryn's as well. The woman had a Midnight-style mask covering her eyes, and black skin-tight spandex body suit with blue thigh-high boots and matching gloves. She also had a matching cloak with a hood that was pulled up around her face. The woman looked like a hero of some kind, but Katsuki didn't get the feeling that she was a hero. And judging from the fearful look on Auryn's face, he'd have to say that he knew that Auryn knew that woman as well.

"Oh, Auryn! How good it is to see you again, my dear!" The woman cried out in a sickly sweet tone; walking up to the girl smiling a sweet smile as she embraced the girl tightly. "And look at you! You're not wearing crutches anymore! I am so happy for you!"

The woman then pulled away from the girl, and looked over at Katsuki with a surprised tone. "And who is your handsome young date?" She asked in a playful tone; faking a sweet smile at him as well.

"What are you doing here?" Auryn asked in a shaky tone; darting her eyes over at the boy standing next to her.

"I came by to do a little shopping and I just-so-happened to see you standing out here with this strapping young man. I must say, Auryn, you've got good tastes." The woman replied in a twisted tone; narrowing her eyes playfully at Auryn.

Katsuki clicked his tongue at the woman before him and scowled darkly at her. "I'm Bakugou Katsuki, and YOU'RE bothering Auryn! Now, beat it you old hag or I'll blow you up right here in front of everybody…" He warned in a threatening tone; lifting his now smoking hand to prove his point.

The woman let Auryn go and took a step back. "Well, I can see that I stopped you two at a bad time, so I'll just be on my way." She spoke in a teasing tone; holding her hands up in surrender. "I know you love this girl, dear Katsuki, and if I were you, I'd keep her as close to you as possible. You never know when she may catch someone else's eye."

Katsuki roared angrily and was about to charge for the woman, but Auryn quickly reached out and grabbed his arm. He looked back at her and seen her hang her head lowly and shake it; making him relax his body and stay by her side.

The woman turned around to leave, but stopped and looked over her shoulder at that girl with a twisted smile. "Oh, and before I forget, please do be careful from now on, won't you, Auryn-dear? I'd hate to have to see you back in the hospital after you've worked so hard to get better…"

And with that, the woman faded into the crowd; leaving a shocked Auryn and Katsuki watching until she was gone. Katsuki darted in front of Auryn, but stopped just a foot away from her; making sure that the woman was gone.

Katsuki scanned the area for a few moments and turned around to see Auryn stuck in her spot and shaking violently from her place in the crowd. He didn't have to be a genius to know she was scared of that woman.

Without another word, he rushed back over to Auryn and rested his hands on her upper arms; giving her a few gentle shakes to try and get her attention. He tried to call out to her, but she didn't seem to hear him. He looked around for a moment, and found an alley nearby, and dragged her to it.

Once they were safely inside the alley, he poked his head out to see if anyone saw them; before he moved back over towards her.

"Are you okay, Auryn?" He asked in a concerned tone; resting his hands on her upper arms. "Auryn? Look at me, look at me… Tell me what's wrong… Who was that?"

Auryn remained silent and soon after, tears started rolling down her cheeks. Katsuki leaned down and looked into her eyes, and saw that they were hollow and lifeless. There were no light shining in her eyes like she was used to, and he felt his heart twisting and squeezing in his chest.

He had to see her smile. He had to hear her voice. He had to know what was going on with her. And he had to find out now. He couldn't stand to see her like that. It was killing him seeing her in that state.

With shaky hands, he trailed his hands up to her face, and tilted it up so he could look into her eyes. He had to do something – anything to help her.

"Auryn… please talk to me… I can't fucking help you if you don't talk to me damnit!" He pleaded in desperate tone.

Auryn seemed to have snapped out of whatever trance she was under, and reached out to grab Katsuki; pulling him against herself and burying her face in his chest. She shook and sobbed against his chest.

"I'm sorry, Katsuki… I just – just…" She trailed off in a choked sob; unable to find her voice.

Katsuki moved his arms from Auryn's face, and wrapped them around her shoulders; pulling her tightly against himself. He closed his eyes and drank in the feeling of having Auryn wrapped up in his arms. He knew deep down inside that it was wrong to feel so good to have her in his arms (given the unwelcome encounter), but he just couldn't leave her shaking.

"It's okay, Auryn." He whispered in a soothing tone; stroking her hair and leaning his face against the side her own. "I've got you now… I won't let anyone hurt you… I promised, didn't I? I'm your hero, remember?"

Auryn sighed and leaned against Katsuki and inhaled his scent. "I know… I'm sorry… um…" She said in a stuttering tone; looking away from him for a moment – then looking back into his eyes.

"Come on, we're leaving." He said in a final tone; dragging her out of the alley and straight for the train station…


	7. Namines Fall

Chapter Seven: Namine`'s Fall

 _I chased the sun like everyone else!_

 _And like everyone else…_

 _I got burnt._

 _The sun is alone, too,_

 _But it still shines…_

… **The ride back was a quiet one.** Katsuki made sure to keep at least one arm around Namine` at all times because he felt as if she would shatter like glass. He guided her off the train and out of the station. When they made to their usual parting roads, and he turned back to Namine` with a serious look on his face.

Tonight was the night he was going to confess his feelings to her. He had been keeping it hidden from her ever since she got hurt in the classroom. He knew he probably wouldn't be right for her, but he HAD to let her know. Even if she didn't return his feelings, he had to tell her – tonight.

"I'm staying with you tonight, Needy." He said in a final tone; gripping Namine`'s hand tightly in his own.

Namine` blinked in surprise. "I thought that was the plan from the start, Katsuki." She said in a blunt tone; tilting her head to the side with a confused look on her face.

"I'm just making sure you didn't forget." He replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

"But what about a change of clothes?! Or your homework?! I thought we could do our homework together!" Namine` protested in a nervous tone.

Katsuki sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I should still have some clothes from the last time I stayed the night, remember? Damn, you'd forget your head if it weren't attached, wouldn't you?" He complained in a weary tone; giving the girl a blunt stare.

Namine` gasped in shock. "Oh, that's right! Well, then let's get going before Hitori comes home." She challenged in playful tone; turning her back to him and started walking away.

 **Katsuki and Namine` made it to Namine`'s house on the outside of town.** They went inside, and looked around to see a message on the answering machine on the family phone. Namine` listened to the message while Katsuki made his way over towards the kitchen table. It was Hitori. She had left a message for Namine` saying that she was working late that night and that the two shouldn't wait up for her.

"Well, I guess that means it's just the two of us tonight." Namine` said softly; erasing the message on the answering machine.

' _Perfect! That gives me a chance to tell Namine` how I feel!'_ Katsuki thought with a slight smirk on his face.

Namine` placed one hand on the counter next to the phone and brought one leg up behind her, and stretched as much as she could. "Man, it feels so good to finally be free of those infernal crutches! I had almost forgotten what it was like to walk without them!" She said excitedly; smiling happily at herself while she switched legs and repeated the process.

Katsuki chuckled and slowly got up from his seat at the table. "I'm glad you're doing better now, Namine`…" He said in a contented tone; giving Namine` a warm smile as he started walking over towards her.

Namine` turned around in time to see Katsuki walk up to her, and rested his hands on the counter behind her. "Uh – Katsuki? What are you doing?" She asked in an unsure tone; not taking her eyes of his.

Katsuki blushed and looked down at his feet. "Listen, Namine`… I've got something I need to tell you…" He said in a forced tone; not really knowing how to put his thoughts into words.

Namine` tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Is something wrong, Katsuki? You know you can tell me anything… you know I won't judge you, so don't be afraid to tell me if something's wrong." She encouraged in a gentle tone; resting her hand on the boy's shoulder.

Katsuki shook his head at her. "You know I like you, right?" He asked in an inquiring tone; keeping his eyes trained on the floor.

Namine` nodded to him with a small smile. "I know that, Katsuki… you always say that I'm the only one in school that doesn't annoy you if I'm not mistaken. I'd like to think we're pretty good friends." She said in a joking tone; giving him a soft smile.

Katsuki shook his head and looked up at Namine` with a pleading expression on his eyes that made Namine`'s jaw slack slightly. "That's just it, though! Ever since I've started to hang out with you, I've wanted to be more than that with you!" He protested in a desperate tone; struggling to find the right words to make her understand his feelings.

Namine` looked down at herself as she thought about what he was trying to say. _'Is he trying to imply that he wants to be closer to me on a level that's stronger than friendship? Does he want me to be his partner or something? I can't deny that I've wanted something more with him, too, but given his personality and how he acts towards others, I'm not sure if he feels the same way I do or not.'_

She shook her head clear of the thoughts going through her mind. "I know it must be hard for you to say what you need to say, Katsuki, but I can't understand what you're trying to tell me." She told him with an unsure tone.

Katsuki bit his lip with pressure building up in his chest. He closed his eyes tightly and took several breaths to try and calm his nerves. Namine` focused on Katsuki's face. She could tell he was having trouble with his words. But she didn't want to jump to conclusions. She wanted to be careful since she already knew he was trying to be serious.

An idea formed in her mind, and she leaned closer to him. "Why don't we go up to my room and relax for a bit. Maybe that will help." She suggested in a gentle tone; resting her hands on his biceps.

Katsuki sighed and pulled away from Namine` with a grateful smile. He nodded to her and allowed her to lead him up to her room. _'Now, I have a little more time to figure out how I'm going to tell her!'_ He thought excitedly; following her up the stairs.

 _ **Once Namine` opened the door to her room;**_ and let Katsuki walk in first. She closed the door, and turned over towards him. She watched him walk over towards the window and lean his weight onto the window sill.

"Okay, Katsuki," she spoke in a quiet tone; slowly walking over towards him, "pick up where you left off in the kitchen."

Katsuki kept his back turned to her. "Okay… but first, tell me what you think about me…" He said in a quiet tone.

Namine` thought for a minute and leaned into the sill in front of her. "Well, I think you're rash, hot headed AT TIMES, arrogant, self-centered, egotistical…" She answered in an honest tone; looking out into the empty streets with a faint smile on her face.

Katsuki snorted in response. He was about to say something, but Namine` cut him off by shaking her head and holding her hand up to stop him.

"However, despite all that, I think you are very strong, brave, and protective. You have a good heart and you're not afraid to go after what you want. No matter what anyone does or says, you always keep your focus, wait for your chance and take it without any hesitation. I guess, in a way, I'm jealous of you." She finished in a thoughtful tone; lifting her eyes up towards the sky.

Katsuki blinked in surprise. "What? YOU? Jealous of ME? Why would you be jealous of me?" He asked in a shocked tone; watching Namine`'s face closely.

"I heard from Ikuzu that you two were childhood friends and he once told me that you always got praise from people. Weather it was about your looks, your quirk, your strength – it didn't matter. No one ever told you that you wouldn't be able to reach your dreams. That's the reason behind your arrogant behavior – because people haven't told you that you that you're not good enough. Not that it's a bad thing. AND I find it very lucky if you ask me." She explained in a lazy tone; shrugging her shoulders. "Me? I wasn't so lucky… Everyone I've ever known has always told me that I wouldn't be worth anything to anybody. Even Hitori didn't believe that I would ever get to walk again. I slowly became invisible – a nobody. Nobody wanted me and nobody cared… And yet, here you are: someone who saw me and PROVED that I was actually SOMEBODY. And I can't thank you enough for that, Katsuki. I truly feel like you've given me a second chance."

Katsuki gripped the window sill tightly and tried his best to control his temper. He knew people haven't treated Namine` fairly her entire life, but hearing it all over again made his blood boil. However, he quickly calmed down when Namine` leaned against him and pulled her arm around his waist; giving him a tight squeeze. He sighed and wrapped his own arm around her waist; returning the hug and resting his head against hers.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Namine` pulled slightly away from him with a soft smile. "Now, I want you tell me how YOU feel about ME. I've told you my honest feelings, so it's only right that you tell me yours."

Katsuki took a deep breath and looked down at Namine`. "You wanna know the truth? Okay, well here it is." He started to say; closing his eyes and opening them. "I've already told you that you're the only kid in school that doesn't piss me off, right? And I've told you back in the kitchen that I wanted more than that with you, remember? Well, you may have been told all that shit about how you're a nobody or whatever, but you are SOMEBODY. At least, you're somebody to me. You're… special. I feel like I can tell you ANYTHING and you won't judge me, and you always seem know how to make me feel better on a really shitty day. And it's because of that – that-that… I-I Iloveyou!"

He wasn't even thinking about his actions when he reached out and grabbed the bony girl, and crushed her against his body. He didn't give her time to react and pinned her arms to her sides while he held her tightly. He pushed his face against her neck; losing himself in the rainy scent of her hair that he had grown so addicted to. He didn't want to scare her, but he couldn't hold his feelings in any longer. It was driving him crazy not being able to voice them to the object of his affections, and now that he finally got to tell her how he felt, he was scared.

He was actually scared that she wouldn't return his feelings and hid his face in her neck. He had never been as scared as he was now. He didn't think he'd be able to handle her rejections. He wouldn't know what to do!

However, he was not one to force his feelings on someone. Namine` showed him that he shouldn't do that. So, he prepared himself quickly. If she didn't return his feelings; then he would gladly leave her alone. He just hoped it wouldn't come to that…

"Katsuki…" Namine` trailed off in a shocked tone; feeling him trembled against her body.

Katsuki nuzzled his face against her skin. "I don't give a damn if you don't like me back, but please… Just-just let me hold you – just this once – just for a few more seconds." He mumbled against her skin; his hot breath tickling her flesh. "I'll be fine if you can at least give me that… I promise I'll leave you alone after this…"

Namine` took a deep breath and sighed in response. "You're such a fool, Katsuki…" She whispered in a quiet tone; closing her eyes.

Katsuki lifted his head off her shoulder and gave her a stunned look. "WHAT?! HOW AM I A FOOL?!" He asked in a shocked tone; raising his voice before he could stop himself.

"You think that after all the time you've spent with me – getting to know each other that I wouldn't feel even the slightest bit of attraction for you? Please, Katsuki, give me a little more credit than that!" She joked in a lightened tone; giving him a warm smile and leaning closer to him. "And I'm going to prove it…"

She didn't the explosion expert any time to react when she pressed herself against him, and tilted her head slightly; pressing her lips to his in a needing kiss.

Katsuki was slightly shocked at the sudden action, but he quickly recovered and kissed her back; closing his eyes at the intense feelings that was flowing wildly through his body. He finally got to confess his feeling to the girl of his dreams and it felt like just that – a dream. It was a dream come true and he didn't feel like waking up from it.

He pulled her as close to him as he could, and put a little more force in the kiss. He rolled them around so he was leaning against the sill. He had no clue if he was doing anything right, but the little moan he heard from the girl in his arms was a good indication that he was doing something right.

After a few moments, they pulled away from each other so they could catch their breath. He slowly opened his eyes half-way, and saw that Namine` still had her eyes closes, but she was mouthing words over and over again. He knew he wasn't the best at reading lips, but it wasn't hard to figure out what she was trying to say in between pants. She was saying, "I love you" over and over again; making his heart fly right out the window behind him.

"Say it…" He whispered in a quiet tone; running his hands up her arms, and on either side of her neck. "I need to hear you say it… please, Needy. I won't let you go until I hear those words…"

Namine` opened her eyes half way; still in a daze at the first mind-blowing kiss they had just shared. "…I love you, too…" She whispered; barely above a whisper.

Katsuki leaned closer and kept his lips a few centimeters over hers. "Louder…" He said in a husky tone; making sure his lips brushed against hers with each syllable he spoke.

Namine`'s eyes closed again. "I love you, too, Bakugou Katsuki… Now, kiss me." She said in a breathless tone; bringing her hands to rest on his chest.

Katsuki didn't bother denying her of her command, and gladly complied. He pulled her head closer to his and pressed his lips back on hers; giving her the best mind-numbing kiss he was capable of.

He moaned quietly into the kiss, and pushed her slightly away from him; making sure to keep their lips locked. He gently nudged her over towards the bed and eased her down onto the mattress; gently guiding her backwards and following her shortly after. He made sure not to take their kiss too far, but he wanted to prove how much she meant to him.

They pulled away for a second time, and Katsuki rolled off of Namine`'s prone form; both panting heavily and struggled to catch their breath. He looked over at her with sparkling eyes.

"Are you okay? Was it too much too soon?" He asked in a worried tone; turning on his side and propping himself up on his elbow to lean over her. "I didn't hurt you, did I? I didn't literally take your breath away, did I?" He couldn't stop the questions from ripping out of his throat.

Namine` kept her eyes closed, but shook her head. "No… it was… it was… wow…" She stuttered in a winded tone; rolling over on her side and facing him with a dazed smile.

She moved closer to the boy sitting next to her, and slid her hand into his. He smiled back at her, and pulled his own arm around the small of her back; pulling her closer to him as he cradled her closer to his frame; resting his head on top of hers.

"I could get used to this…" He mumbled in a dreamy tone; running his fingers in her hair. "This feels too damn good… you belong to me now… and I'm never letting you go…"

Namine` sighed and rubbed her thumb over his knuckles. "This feels right…" She whispered in a husky tone; looking up at him with half-lidded eyes.

Katsuki pulled his hand out of Namine`'s grasp, and rolled them over so she was resting her upper torso on top of him. He brought the hand she was previously holding up to bury itself in her hair and started rubbing her scalp gently.

He sighed at the soft texture of her hair, and closed his eyes. "I love you, Needy… you have no idea how fucking happy I am to finally have you… but uh- well, um…" He trailed off in an unsure tone; opening his eyes to look into her duel-colored eyes.

Namine` lifted her head up to look down at the boy holding her so possessively in his arms. "What is it, Katsuki?" She asked in a slightly worried tone; her voice was barely above a whisper.

Katsuki blushed when he discovered that he couldn't look away from her eyes. He took a deep breath and let it out; blowing some of Namine`'s bangs out of her face with his hot breath.

"Um… I don't really know how to ask you this… So, I'm just gonna come out and say it: Will you… be my… girlfriend?" He asked in a slightly worried tone; turning his head away from her.

Namine` grinned wickedly at him and inched her face closer to his. "What do you think?" She asked as she placed her lips against his in a searing kiss.

Katsuki smirked into the kiss and rolled Namine` off of him; landing on top of her in another make-out session. Now, it was official: the girl of his dreams was finally his. He wouldn't let anyone hurt her as long as he was alive. He would always protect her from anyone who wanted to hurt her. He was her hero, and that was all that mattered to him now...

He slid his hands down her body and placed them on her hips; slipping them just under her shirt but not going any higher. There would be plenty of time for that in the future. Right now, he just wanted to kiss her senseless. He felt his ego soar up to the ceiling when he felt her hands tangle themselves in his hair as she tried to push him even closer to her. He moaned in bliss when she trailed her hands down his arms and encased him in a tight embrace. If this was a dream, he never wanted to wake up!

When they pulled away from each other, Katsuki rested his forehead against hers. "Damn, Needy, I never knew you could kiss like that!" He said in a joking tone; bringing his hands out from under her shirt and using them to push himself off of her.

Namine` shrugged her shoulders in response, and braced herself up on her elbows. "It was instincts, I guess." She responded in a modest tone; a hot blush painting her face.

Katsuki chuckled and brought his hand up to rest on her cheek. "I'm not complaining…" he said in a husky tone; giving her a playful smirk.

Namine` giggled at him and pushed herself up on her elbows. "And what about you?! You weren't half bad either, firecracker!" She said with a laugh.

Katsuki smirked and leaned over to give her a short kiss. "I guess you're not the only one with instincts…" He teased her.

Namine` shook her head and pushed herself in a sitting position. "I've got to get up and take a breathing treatment…" She muttered to herself.

"Do you want some help?" He offered in a concerned tone; sitting up with her.

Namine` shook her head in response. "No, I can do it. Hey, how about we go down to the living room and watch some movies or something when I'm done?" She suggested with a faint smile. "It won't take long."

Katsuki chuckled and stood up from his place on the bed. "Fine, but I get to hold you while we watch movies!" He said with a smile; holding his hands out to her.

Namine` giggled and took her hand. An idea popped inside Katsuki's head, and he used a little strength to pull her straight into his arms. He buried his face into her neck as he wrapped his arms around her.

He moaned into her skin, and gave her a few tiny kisses on the exposed flesh. "You smell so good… you know that, right?" He asked in a husky tone; rocking her back and forth as if they were dancing to a song. "I wish I could stay like this with you forever."

Namine` giggled at his words, and pushed Katsuki away. "Oh, I'm sure, firecracker! Now, let me go! I have to do my breathing treatment before I go into an asthma attack!"

Katsuki chuckled and let her go; following her out of the room, and down the hall. He made sure to keep an arm around her waist and only let her go when she went into the bathroom. Though, she didn't close the door, followed her into the bathroom, and leaned against the sink while he watched her get the machine ready. He had to admit that he never got to see what she did when she had to have a breathing treatment, so he thought this was an opportune moment to see what it was like.

"Can I ask how you got asthma to start with? I mean, was it genetic or something?" He asked as he watched get the medicine out of the cupboard.

Namine` sighed and pulled the vials out of the cupboard, and ripped the end off. "Remember when I told you that mom wouldn't even bathe me when I was small?" She asked as she looked over at him; seeing him nod. "Well, no one knew that the room she kept me in had mold in the vents. And my crib was right under them. So, I was exposed to it for a few weeks after I was born and BOOM! Instant asthma! I've been taking breathing treatments and inhalers since I was able to walk."

"Damn! That sucks… but how did anyone know if you had asthma if you couldn't tell them anything? I mean, unless someone heard you wheezing, right?" He pressed in a baffled tone; watching her pour the clear liquid into a container that was hooked up to the machine in front of her.

Namine` turned on the machine and waited for the medicine to start evaporating before she put the mouth piece in her mouth and inhaled the vapor.

"I don't really remember what happened – I WAS a baby after all. But Hitori once told me that I stopped breathing one time when she came over to check on me. She said that she performed CPR on me and I started to breathe again, but she heard me wheezing, and took me to the clinic to have some tests run on me. And sure enough, the tests came back positive for asthma." She explained in a careful tone; taking another deep breath of the vapor.

"How bad can your asthma get? I mean, when's the worst time you've had an asthma attack?" Katsuki asked in a worried tone; leaning closer to her.

Namine` pulled the mouth piece out of her mouth and exhaled all the vapor and oxygen from her lungs. "Let me put it to you this way," she started, "the average human's oxygen level is around 95-100, right? Well, whenever I have a real bad asthma attack, MY oxygen level can and will drop to around 15 or 20. And by that time, I will pass out, my lungs will scar up, and my lung capacity will decrease greatly."

"Has it ever got that bad before?" Katsuki asked as he watched her take another breath of the vapor.

Namine` nodded and exhaled once again. "I remember this one time, I forgot to bring my inhaler with me when I was playing outside and the pollen count was incredibly high that summer. My mom got mad at me for some reason – I forgot why, and she chased me around the grounds. I went into an attack and my oxygen level dropped so much that I passed out and because she just left me there outside for who knows how long, my lungs were scarred so much that I can't take a deep breath like you can anymore."

Katsuki looked down at himself. He didn't mean to bring up a dark memory like that – he just wanted to know about her asthma. He looked over at Namine` and noticed that she was finished with her breathing treatment and was now cleaning the compartment where the liquid was once sitting.

He waited until she was finished putting the machine away; before he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly against his body. "I'm sorry I made you remember something as fucked up as that, Namine`… I-I wish I was around so I could've protected you back then…" He whispered in her shoulder; hugging her closer to his body.

Namine` smiled warmly at Katsuki, and wrapped her own arms around his frame. "It's okay, Katsuki. As long as it's just me that suffers like that; then I'll accept it..." She muttered to him in a gentle tone; rubbing his back in soothing circles. "I may not be able to be a hero like you, but if I can do at least this much so no one else would have to go through what I had to; then that will be good enough for me."

He shook his head and pulled away from her. "No, it's not okay! That sick bitch shouldn't be allowed to even look at you for all the shit she did to you! It's not fair!" He cried out in panic as he shoulders shook violently; tears forming in his eyes. "Why do you have to be the one to suffer like that?! Who said you have to go through that bullshit?! It's not fair! It's not fair… It's not…"

Namine` cooed at the boy and wrapped her own arms around him. "I can't justify mom's actions – and quite frankly, I'm GLAD she abused me all those years." She said in a final tone; making Katsuki look up at her with a stunning look on his face.

She quickly covered his mouth with her hand and gave him a brave smile. "If she hadn't abused me; then I probably wouldn't have got to meet you. So, I guess, in some sick – twisted way, I'm glad she did what she did." She clarified in a logical tone; bringing his face down to her level and placing a loving kiss to the side of his lips.

She then pulled out of his arms, and walked out of the bathroom. Katsuki watched her leave a moment and let her words sink into his mind. He hated to admit that she had a point, but that didn't change his feelings about her mother.

He shook his head to clear his mind of all the negative thoughts, and followed Namine` into the living room. He watched as she pick out a movie for them to watch. It was called, "The Grudge". It was one of his favorite movies to watch with her.

Once the movie was in and Namine` pressed play and took her seat next to Katsuki on the sectional couch. Katsuki kept his promise and held Namine` as close to his body as he could. However, he had his own idea on how he was going to hold her this time. He held her in the most intimate way he could possibly manage without scaring her.

He was seated sideways in the corner of the couch, and pulled Namine` to rest between his legs. She had her back to his chest and one of his arms was wrapped around her shoulders and the other was lying loosely across her stomach; his hand resting lazily on her hip. He used the arm that was lying on her stomach and pulled the blanket off the back of the couch, and threw it over Namine`'s body.

"This is more like it…" he mumbled in a rough tone; pulling Namine` closer to his body and snuggling into the couch to get more comfortable. "Have I ever told you that I like holding you?" He whispered in her ear.

Namine` sighed and shifted closer to Katsuki's body. "No, but I got the impression since you've hadn't went a whole 5 minutes without touching me I hope you can restrain yourself when we have class." She replied in a playful tone; looking up at him with a dreamy smile.

Katsuki shrugged and placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "What can I say? I know what I like. And I like holding you." He replied as he started to rub her bare shoulder with his thumb as he started watching the movie.

 **Namine` fell asleep towards the end of the movie,** but Katsuki was still awake. He had stopped watching the movie once he realized she had fallen asleep in his arms. He couldn't stop thinking about everything she had ever told him from the time she first transferred to his school – until today. He knew he loved her, and he still held a great deal of hatred for her mother, but for Namine`'s sake, he wouldn't go after her. So, he settled on staying with the girl of his dreams and protect her with every fiber in his being. He promised – more to himself than to Namine` – that he wouldn't let anyone hurt her, and with that thought in mind, he nestled further into the back of the couch, and pulled the blanket to wrap around her bony shoulders; enjoying the feeling of her sleeping with him.

His last thoughts were, _'I'll never let you go…'_ before he followed her into sleep _'you're mine now and I won't let anyone take what's mine…'_


End file.
